Meeting Summary
European Scrutiny Committee Meeting summary:
5 June 2013
Financial Transaction Tax and the Multiannual
Financial Framework
The Committee has already recommended for debate
on the floor of the House the draft Council Decision to authorise
the introduction of a Financial Transaction Tax, through
the enhanced co-operation procedure, by Austria, Belgium, Estonia,
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and
Spain. It asked Treasury Ministers to respond before the debate
with further information about the Government's views on the proposal
legal base of the proposal, subsidiarity concerns, compliance
with EU law and extra-territoriality and — perhaps most
significantly — whether there has been a full impact assessment
of what the proposal means for non-participating Member States,
particularly in the context of the single market. The Committee
reports the Government's response and now looks forward to the
debate being scheduled as soon as possible. We also report further
developments in the negotiations on the 2013 General Budget
and the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework.
Youth Employment Initiative
This Commission Communication and two amending proposals
will be debated in European Committee B on Monday 10 June. They
propose changes to the EU Structural and Cohesion Funds to establish
this Initiative, which would have a budget of 6 billion between
2014 and 2020. We asked the Government to explain to us its views
on whether the Initiative would add value to existing efforts
to tackle youth unemployment. The Minister has now responded
and we publish his reply; we ask him to explain in the debate
which regions of the UK might be eligible for support.
Negotiations on EU Aid
The Committee tracks key documents as they go through
negotiations in Brussels, keeping them under scrutiny if it has
particular concerns. This week we report slow progress in the
negotiations on the different EU aid instruments for the
period 2014-2020. They are currently the subject of trilogue
negotiations between the Presidency, the European Parliament and
the Commission. We have been told by the Minister that Member
States oppose the European Parliament's endeavours to secure a
new power of joint control, alongside the Council, of individual
programmes. A compromise is proving elusive; we have asked for
a further report on progress before the summer recess.
Roadworthiness of Vehicles
It seems that much more progress has been made on
two draft Regulations and a draft Directive on the Roadworthiness
of Vehicles. We expressed concerns about the initial version
of this proposal last year, going so far as to propose that the
House consider a Reasoned Opinion on the grounds of subsidiarity,
but we have been told that a satisfactory compromise may be in
reach at the Transport Council later this month. We clear one
of the documents and grant a scrutiny waiver on the other two
if an acceptable deal can be secured.
Reform of the EU's Staff Regulations
The Minister for Europe has given the Committee a
state-of-play on the negotiations on these Regulations, which
remain under scrutiny. They have profound financial implications:
£43.1 billion will be spent on implementing them over the
next five years. We ask the Minister a series of further questions
and ask to be kept informed as discussions continue — particularly
if there is a rush to achieve a deal before the end of the Irish
Presidency.
Advocates-General at the Court of Justice of the
EU
In January 2013 the President of the Court of the
Justice of the EU sent a request to the Council Presidency for
the appointment of three extra Advocates-General to the ECJ to
ease the workload of the existing eight. The Committee is holding
this under scrutiny. The measure will also need to be debated
on the floor of the House as it requires the prior approval of
both Houses of Parliament following debates before the Government
can vote in favour, under section 10(1)(c) of the European Union
Act 2011. The Government has expressed concerns about whether
the costs will be met from the ECJ's existing budget — a
question which has not yet been resolved. The Committee asks
the Minister during the debate to explain further his understanding
that the ECJ can pay for the reform, assess in greater detail
the probability of the cost not being paid by the ECJ and to comment
on the appointment procedure and on the calibre of the three new
appointees.
Information on environmental performance and Green
infrastructure
The Commission has produced a Communication setting
out how it hopes to improve the availability of clear, reliable
and comparable information on the environmental performance
of products and organisations. This will be voluntary and is
subject to a three-year testing phase for different compliance
and verification systems across various products and sectors.
The Government supports the Commission's objectives but notes
some concerns by businesses, which it hopes will be addressed
during the preparatory work. Another Commission Communication
contains a high-level strategy about the development of green
infrastructure. Both documents are cleared.
The balance of competences review
The Committee discussed the calls for evidence issued
in the second 'semester' of the Government's balance of competences
review. We will, as for the first semester, be replying to the
Government with relevant extracts from our reports.
Other documents reported
We are also reporting on documents relating to:
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office: EU-Syria
relations; Restrictive measures against the regime in Myanmar/Burma;
Restrictive measures and Libya; EU-Kosovo co-operation; Composition
of the European Parliament, and the Third Chemical Weapons Review
- Department for Transport: Road transport:
dimensions and weights; and Marine equipment
- HM Treasury: Financial services: recovery
and resolution; and Value added taxation
- Department for Business, Innovation and Skills:
Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment
- Department for International Development:
European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs: Common organisation of fishery markets; and Water
policy: priority substances,
- Department for Work and Pensions: Ratification
of the Convention on Safety in the use of Chemicals at Work
- Cabinet Office: Dates for European elections
2014.
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