Meeting Summary
Reforming Europol — important proposals
to be the subject of an opt-in debate
The Committee reports this week on a Draft Regulation
which would merge the functions of Europol and the European
Police College (CEPOL) within a single EU Agency for Law Enforcement
Co-operation and Training, and change the arrangements for
parliamentary scrutiny of the new Agency's activities and budget.
The Minister recognises that these measures are likely to be
of strong interest to Parliament and has therefore offered a debate
on the Floor of the House on a motion setting out the Government's
recommended approach to the opt-in. The Committee analyses the
proposals, accepts the Minister's offer of an opt-in debate, raises
concerns about a number of aspects of the Regulation and asks
the Home Affairs Committee for an Opinion. We also report on
a related Commission Communication on European law enforcement
training.
Disclosure of non-financial and diversity information
by companies
We also report on a Draft Directive which would require
companies to provide more information in their annual reports
on non-financial matters and board diversity. The Commission
is proposing that where a company has more than 500 employees,
and either a balance sheet in excess of 20 million or a net turnover
of more than €40 million, its annual report should include
a non-financial statement containing information relating to environmental,
social and employee matters, human rights, anti-corruption and
bribery matters, with certain exceptions. There is also a proposed
requirement for listed companies to include information on their
diversity policy. The draft Directive is being held under scrutiny
pending further information from the Government about the outcome
of stakeholder consultations and the costs and benefits of the
proposed approach.
EU enlargement and the European Neighbourhood
Policy
Reports relating to EU enlargement and the EU's wider
neighbourhood are covered this week. The first Commission Report
lays the ground for discussion at the 25 June General Affairs
Council on the possibility of the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia and Serbia opening accession negotiations, and Kosovo
opening negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
The second set of documents includes individual progress reports
for those countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy
(ENP), as well as a Joint Communication "Working towards
a stronger partnership". Both sets of proposals are cleared,
although further information is requested from the Minister about
certain aspects of the enlargement negotiations.
Data protection regulation in the EU
This draft Regulation and Directive have been held
under scrutiny since March 2012 and were the subject of an Opinion
from the Justice Committee last year. The Committee has now been
told that a partial general approach may be sought by the Irish
Presidency on the first four chapters of the proposed Regulation
at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in early June. We share
the Government's misgivings about any premature agreement of a
partial general approach, given the complexity of these proposals,
and also ask the Minister to consider whether the latest redraft
is sufficiently different to the original proposal to warrant
it being deposited with us for fresh scrutiny.
Horizon 2020: First reading agreement in prospect
Horizon 2020 is the umbrella term for a package of
measures establishing the legal framework and budget for EU expenditure
on research and innovation for the period 2014-20. EU-level research
and innovation programmes are important for industry, academia
and research organisations in the UK, so we have followed these
proposals closely and kept them under scrutiny since January 2012.
The Presidency is keen to secure a First Reading agreement on
most of the elements of the package by the end of June, and the
Minister — who expects there to be scope for a satisfactory
compromise deal — has asked the Committee to clear the proposals
from scrutiny, a request we have agreed to.
EUBAM Libya — local capacity
Following our report earlier in the month about steps to establish
an Integrated Border Management Assistance Mission in Libya
(EUBAM Libya), we now clear the document, having received
a comprehensive reply from the Minister demonstrating local operational-level
commitment.
Deploying high-speed electronic communication
networks — Reasoned Opinion considered in European Committee
The draft Reasoned Opinion reported last week was
debated in European Committee on Monday 20 May and is to be considered
(without debate) on the floor of the House on 21 May, in order
to meet the Reasoned Opinion deadline of the end of the month.
The Committee has received letters supportive of its conclusions
from the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee of the
National Assembly for Wales and the Committee for the Office of
the First Minister and deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland
Assembly.
Other documents reported
We are also reporting on documents relating to:
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office: EUPOL
Afghanistan; the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo; and Restrictive
measures against Zimbabwe.
- Department for Transport: a draft Regulation
on the sound levels of motor vehicles.
- Cabinet Office: a draft Directive on the
re-use of Public Sector Information.
- HM Treasury: a Green Paper on Financing
of the EU economy; and the 2013 General Budget.
- Department for Business, Innovation and Skills:
a Commission Communication and draft Decision on Space Policy;
a Commission Communication and draft Regulation on EU trade defence
instruments; a Directive on Regulating collecting societies; a
draft Council Regulation on the Application of EU State aid rules;
a draft Directive on the Posting of workers and a draft Regulation
and Directive on Reforms to the EU's trade mark regime.
- Department of Health: the Health for Growth
Programme 2014-20.
- Department for International Development:
a Commission Communication and Council Decision on Financing
EU external action; and a Council Decision on Somalia and the
Cotonou Agreement.
- Home Office: a draft Council Decision on
trafficking in firearms.
- Ministry of Justice: a Directive on the
protection of the euro and other currencies against counterfeiting
by criminal law.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs: a Council Decision relating to the International
Organisation for Vine and Wine; and a Commission Communication
on the Strategy for adaptation to climate change.
| 
