Comitology under greater scrutiny

Abstract:

On 13 June 2006 agreement was reached between the Commission, the Parliament and the Council on a comitology procedure whereby MEPs would be permitted to block implementation decisions taken by the Commission. In addition, such decisions would be made available in all the official constitutions of the Community and the time available for Parliamentary scrutiny was extended. Parliament finally endorsed these proposals. The new Decision is an important step towards greater Parliamentary scrutiny, although this clearly will not be the last word on this issue, since inter alia the new arrangements do not go as far as the earlier draft Constitutional Treaty. Whilst Parliament has now been put on an equal legislative footing with the Commission, areas of disagreement still remain. However, aside from the political power struggle, one must consider how the arrangement will work in practice. Although Parliament did not use its existing powers to any great extent, this may have been a reflection of their limited effectiveness. Whilst Parliament may now have greater powers, the requirement for an absolute majority for blocking a decision may prove to be a new hurdle.