91999E2811

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2811/99

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(18 January 2000)

Subject: Legislation and regulation

The Union's legislative activity should not be confused with the measures it takes to regulate the implementation of legislation. The former should involve the adoption of framework laws under the procedures laid down in the Treaty. The latter should entail measures to amend the procedures and involve the national administrations as directly as possible, so as to spare Parliament excessive or undue effort and allow it instead to devote more time to the discussion and solution of problems more important than the length of asparagus, the flavour of lupins, the size of condoms or the workings of a stud gun.

Bearing in mind that Parliament is a political rather than a technical body:

1. Is the Commission aware of the bad name given to the institutions in the eyes of the public when the press carry stories about rules imposed by Brussels on matters of the kind described above involving three or four institutions?

2. Does it agree that attempts to regulate every last detail often have the effect of crippling business activity to the benefit of large companies, which are the only ones able to invest in meeting the new rules, while doing nothing to protect the public by ensuring product quality?

3. Does it not agree that such cases are increasingly alienating sections of the population from Europe, as they become less and less convinced of its purported desire to create unity and increasingly critical of its bureaucratic and centralising approach?

4. Will it put forward proposals to rectify this trend towards excessive legislation as part of the planned institutional reform?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(20 March 2000)

The Commission is aware of the problems raised by the Honourable Member. They will be addressed in the White Paper on better governance to be presented by the Commission in 2001.

The Honourable Member is referred to the statements on this topic by the President of the Commission when he presented the Commission's five-year strategic objectives to Parliament on 15 February 2000.