Betere relatie Europese Commissie en nationale Parlementen (en)

Margot Wallström

Vice-President of the European Commission

Meeting with the Joint Committee of the Spanish Parliament

Working in Partnership – relations between the European Commission and the Spanish Parliament

Mr Chairman, Honourable Members,

Thank you for your warm welcome and for giving me this opportunity to exchange thoughts with you on the working relations between the European Commission and the Spanish Parliament.

The relations between the European institutions and the member states is best described as a partnership. A partnership in policy-making and a partnership in communication. Today I would like to briefly address two aspects of that partnership:

• 1. 

  Political dialogue between the Commission and national parliaments;
• 2. 

  Preparations for the European Parliament elections in 2009.

So first of all, Political dialogue.

For this Commission, the national parliaments are central. When I presented my 10 points programme for this Commission's relations with the national parliaments in 2005, one of the main goals was to "connect with people and their elected representatives – a greater voice to parliaments is a greater voice to Europe's citizens".

And that voice is often used to scrutinize the Commission's proposals to ensure that the "subsidiarity" and "proportionality" principles are fully respected.

And let me stay with the word "subsidiarity" for a while. Because behind this somewhat cryptic word lies crucial principles and essential ambitions. It is, in the end, about democracy and good governance, as well as anchoring, engagement and ownership.

We, in the Commission, take subsidiarity very seriously. We want to be sure that our legislative proposals are really necessary to achieve the objectives. We want to be sure there is a real issue, and that the action of the European Union will provide true added value.

But subsidiarity is also an organising concept. By definition it cannot be implemented in isolation at European level. It requires all relevant actors to be involved, including national parliaments, as well as regional and local authorities.

But there is another thing which is important, beyond the technicalities and legalities of subsidiarity scrutiny: European issues need to be better anchored in the political parties and in the democratic traditions in the Member States. We have to better involve citizens in the policy process at all levels, particularly young people and women. We need to show that the EU is not just a lot of rules and regulations – it is 500 million people!

I think this kind of debate – where national, regional and local authorities get involved in the discussion – will lead to an increased interest and a broader discussion among the citizens as well. EU becomes an everyday issue that is discussed in the same way as other everyday issues – in the political parties, in the parliaments, the city Councils, in the media and at home by the kitchen table.

If checking subsidiarity can help us also with this, then we have come a long way.

This is one of the reasons why the Barroso Commission has set itself as a priority to reinforce its relations with national parliaments.

Let me mention one important example of the many things we have done with the national parliaments. Little over two years ago we launched what we call "the dialogue mechanism". We began to send all new Commission proposals and consultation papers to national parliaments, inviting them to comment.

We do this to improve the process of policy formulation, and to improve the implementation of EU legislative measures in the Member States.

The reaction from the national parliaments has been very positive and constructive. We can see that both in terms of quantity and of quality.

Since this political dialogue was set up, in autumn 2006, the Commission has received 314 opinions from 32 National assemblies on around 150 different documents.

And in terms of the quality, it is worth noting that on several occasions the European institutions have echoed concerns expressed by the national Parliaments. This was the case with such matters as the completion of the internal market for postal services, the proposals on soil protection, motorway infrastructure safety and the European Technology Institute.

So there is ample proof this has been a success. Both for subsidiarity and for proportionality. And, not least, for anchoring, for engagement and for ownership.

• 2. 

  Preparing for the 2009 elections

One of the common goals we share is, of course, to promote public awareness of – and interest in – the 2009 elections for the European Parliament. This institution directly represents the European citizens: but only if there is a good turnout can it be representative of the population a whole. In turn, this is vital for the legitimacy of Europe's policymaking

In order to ensure a better turnout than in 2004 we need to publicize the role of the European Parliament and its track record as a body that passes legislation highly relevant to people's daily lives. We also need to make people aware of the hot issues that will be facing the incoming Parliament and stimulate a lively public debate about them.

That is why the EU institutions have agreed to make the elections a major communication priority over the next six months, and to run a joint campaign. It will be particularly aimed at young people and women, who tend to vote less.

The campaign will be tailored to the specific needs of each Member State. In Spain, the Commission Representation is drawing up an action plan jointly with the European Parliament information office and the Spanish Government. A budget of around 100 thousand Euros will be used to implement this plan.

I invite members of the Spanish Parliament to join us in our combined efforts to implement this action plan. Make your constituents aware of the EP elections, and stress the importance of voting. Please talk to the media – especially the regional and local media – about the issues facing us all, and explain the added value of action at European level.

Finally, don't overlook the internet. We have seen how it can influence election campaigns in the United States: as the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty showed in June, it is beginning to have a big influence here in Europe.

Honourable Members,

The future success of the European Union depends not simply on hard work by the European Commission, or on good coordination between the Heads of State and Government. It also depends on you, on the other 26 national parliaments and on the European Parliament – the elected representatives of Europe's citizens.

You know your electorate: you know that their concerns and aspirations can only be met by action at local, regional, national and European levels. You are ideally placed to explain to your constituents the added value of Europe and the importance of citizens making their voices heard in the European political process.

So I hope that you can join us as partners in communicating Europe and in the political dialogue which is so important for ensuring a truly open, accountable and democratic European Union.

Thank you!