92003E0778

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0778/03

by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(12 March 2003)

Subject: Comitology

Article 7(4) of Decision 1999/468/EC(1), laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission lays down that the Commission shall, within six months of the date in which the decision takes effect, publish in the Official Journal of the European Communities, a list of all committees which assist the Commission in the exercise of implementing powers. The decision came into force on 18 July 1999, but the Commission finally published the requisite list over a year later(2). Why was there this delay?

Article 7(5) lays down that the references to all documents sent to the European Parliament [] shall be made public in a register to be set up by the Commission in 2001. In its most recent report on the work of the committees for 2001(3), the Commission indicates that this register will become operational at the beginning of 2003. Why has there been a delay of two years?

(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

(2) OJ C 225, 8.8.2000.

(3) COM(2002) 733.

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(10 April 2003)

The Commission is aware of the delays incurred for establishing the list of committees assisting the Commission in the exercise of its implementing powers(1) and the register with references of documents transmitted to the Parliament.

The attention of the Honourable Member is drawn to the fact that these two obligations were not foreseen in the proposal of the Commission for a Council decision laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(2), but have been inserted into the final text of Council Decision 1999/468/EC on specific request of Member States' delegations. The Commission accepted the obligations in the negotiations subject to the availability of sufficient staff and budgetary resources, which it is still awaiting. This has been, by the way, also expressly mentioned in the unilateral commitment made by the Commission to amplify the register with an internet-based public repository of the documents transmitted to the Parliament.

Of course, the Commission takes its obligations emanating from Council Decision 1999/468/EC(3) very seriously and is giving a high priority to them within the limits of the resources it has available.

The list of committees has been published in the mid of the year 2000. The planning for both the register and the repository was initiated in 2001 and the preparatory work was realised in 2002. Both instruments are planned to become operational within the next few months.

(1) OJ C 225, 8.8.2000.

(2) OJ C 279, 8.9.1998.

(3) Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission OJ L 184, 17.7.1999.