22.7.2006   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 171/21

Statements to be entered in the Council minutes of 17 July 2006

(2006/C 171/02)

A.

Statement by the Commission (re Article 7(3))

In order to give full effect to Article 7(3) as amended by the Council Decision amending Council Decision 1999/468/EC, the Commission undertakes to adopt transparency measures to ensure that the European Parliament is informed simultaneously of draft implementing measures submitted to committees. By improving the register's functions, the Commission should enable the European Parliament to exercise its scrutiny fully, in particular through:

—

clear identification of the various documents covered by the same procedure,

—

indication of the stage of the procedure and the timetable,

—

a clear distinction between the draft measures received by the Parliament at the same time as the committee members in accordance with the right to information and the final draft following the committee's opinion that is forwarded to the European Parliament.

In the field of financial services, in accordance with its commitment, the Commission will ensure that the Parliament is kept regularly informed of the committees' proceedings. The Commission undertakes to:

(1)

ensure that the Commission official chairing committee meetings informs the Parliament, at its request, after each meeting, of the discussions concerning draft implementing measures that have been submitted to the committees;

(2)

give an oral or written reply to any questions regarding the discussions concerning draft implementing measures submitted to the committees;

(3)

confirm to this end the undertakings referred to in points 1 to 7 of Commissioner Bolkestein's letter of 2 October 2001 to the Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.

B.

Statement by the Commission (re Article 5 and Article 5a)

The Commission confirms its commitment to applying statement No 3 annexed to Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 to the measures covered by the new regulatory procedure with scrutiny (5a) (1).

(1)  OJ C 203, 17.7.1999, p. 1.