Bid to clear backlog of law complaints

Date: 02/11/1995

By Fiona McHugh

THE European Commission is seeking to improve public confidence in its supervision of EU legislation by tackling the backlog of complaints against governments accused of breaking Union rules.

Internal rules stipulate that complaints should be investigated and handled within a year. A recent analysis revealed that several hundred cases failed to meet that criterion.

“The system is having difficulty dealing with the sheer number of cases. If we want our citizens to believe in us, then it is important that they feel the laws which are adopted are also being implemented,” says one senior Commission official.

The large number of cases against member states are a huge burden on Commission staff and finance. These pressures have convinced the institution to begin the first serious overhaul of its infringement procedures.

Critics of current practice believe the delays involved owe as much to national pressure to postpone legal action as to an overloaded system.

Officials involved deny this, but also point out: “Our main aim is to make sure the work is correctly done.

“If a case is clear, then it will go ahead, but if it is legally unclear or sensitive then that case will probably be examined further.”