EU faces a light legislative load

Date: 16/11/1995

THE EU is facing its lightest legislative workload for years in 1996 - with the European Commission planning to table just 19 proposals in the course of the year.

But in line with its renewed commitment to involve a wider audience in its operations, it intends to put forward 36 separate consultation and discussion papers and a further 48 action plans across a wide area of EU activity.

The proposed legislative programme confirms that the flood of draft laws from the Commission in the late 1980s and early 1990s as the single market was put into place has been reduced to a trickle. From 61 proposals in 1990, the numbers have consistently fallen, reaching 25 this year and the 19 forecast for next year.

As the Union prepares for the Intergovernmental Conference and the introduction of a single currency, the Commission has selected four central priorities which will dominate its actions throughout 1996. Although it has placed fighting unemployment at the top of its agenda, it does not foresee any EU legislation, preferring to stimulate member state action by exhortation, not legislation.

The second plank of its programme will focus on ensuring the timetable for economic and monetary union is met. This will involve tabling legislation on the regulatory aspects of introducing a single currency.

It also intends to concentrate efforts on consolidating the internal market, in particular ensuring pluralism in the media.

The Commission argues: “Without a single currency, the single market will not work as well as it should. In the long term, its very existence may be jeopardised. Without an expanding, integrated single market, it is difficult to see how unemployment could be reduced. They all form part of a whole.”

Unveiling its 1996 work programme to MEPs in Strasbourg yesterday (15 November), the Commission also presented an analysis of the success it has had in meeting this year's targets. It points out that of the 52 legislative initiatives envisaged this year, it has presented 25 to EU governments and a further 18 are still in the pipeline. But some key proposals like harmonisation of excise duties and measures against fraud have had to be postponed.

In its defence, the Commission noted that the reason many of its measures, ranging from draft legislation to stimulating public discussion, had to be delayed was because more time was sometimes required for detailed studies or to consider new data.

The analysis reveals that the environment is one of the areas where the Commission is having the greatest difficulty in meeting its 1995 timetable.

By the end of last month, only three of its 15 planned initiatives had been completed. With just two months of the year to go, the rest are still in the pipeline.

Legislative proposals planned for 1996 will amend existing merger control rules, establish the fifth R&D research programme, regulate carriage of hazardous goods on inland waterways, lay down rules on road taxes and airport dues, cover drugs for rare diseases and clinical practice standards for drug testing.

The Commission plans to continue its overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy, with proposed reforms of tobacco and olive oil production, and to introduce measures to protect forests from pollution and fires. New rules on food legislation are also being drawn up.