2 Europe for Citizens Programme 2014-20
| (33565)
18719/11
+ ADDs 1-2
COM(11) 884
| Draft Council Regulation establishing for the period 2014-20 the Programme "Europe for Citizens"
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| Legal base | Article 352 TFEU; unanimity; EP consent
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| Department | Culture, Media and Sport
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| Basis of consideration | —
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| Previous Committee Reports | HC 83-xxii (2013-14), chapter 1 (27 November 2013);
HC 83-xx (2013-14), chapter 8 (6 November 2013);
HC 86-i (2012-13), chapter 6 (9 May 2012);
HC 428-xlix (2010-12), chapter 4 (1 February 2012)
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| Discussion in Council | No date set
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| Committee's assessment | Legally and politically important
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| Committee's decision | Recommended for debate in European Committee C (decision reported on 27 November 2013; debate to take place on 2 April)
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Background and previous scrutiny
2.1 The draft Regulation re-establishes the "Europe
for Citizens" Programme for the new funding period from 2014-20,
with an agreed budget of €185 million.[2]
The Programme draws closely on the democratic principles governing
relations between EU institutions and citizens (set out for the
first time in Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union) and
is intended to make it easier for citizens to engage with and
understand the EU, including its history and origins in the aftermath
of two world wars. The Programme has two main strands. The first
is intended to support initiatives associated with remembrance
and European citizenship; the second, to encourage involvement
in the EU policy-making process and civic participation. Our
earlier Reports provide an overview of the content of the draft
Regulation and the Government's position.[3]
2.2 We recommended the draft Regulation for debate
at our meeting on 27 November 2013. One of the reasons for doing
so was that it is based on Article 352 of the Treaty on the Functioning
of the European Union (TFEU) and requires unanimous approval within
the Council. This has enabled the Government to secure a significant
budget reduction — the Commission had originally proposed
a budget of €229 million — but the Committee considered
that the Government could have gone further and questioned the
justification for continuing EU expenditure in this area at a
time of budgetary constraint.
2.3 Section 8 of the European Union Act 2011 requires
measures based on Article 352 TFEU to be approved by an Act of
Parliament, unless one of a number of limited exemptions applies.
The necessary legislation — the European Union (Approvals)
Act 2014 — received Royal Assent on 30 January. It has,
however, taken the Government nearly four months to schedule the
debate we recommended last November, even though the "Europe
for Citizens" Programme was intended to take effect from
the beginning of 2014. Until the debate takes place — it
is now scheduled for 2 April — the draft Regulation remains
under scrutiny and the Government may not support its formal adoption
by the Council without incurring a scrutiny override.
2.4 In a letter to the Leader of the House (Mr Andrew
Lansley) on 26 February, we made plain our concern at Government
delays in scheduling this and other debates recommended by the
Committee and requested an explanation, adding:
"Such delays potentially render the scrutiny
process meaningless, and are contrary to the spirit of the House's
Standing Order No. 119 which empowers this Committee to make recommendations
for European Committee debates."[4]
2.5 The response of the Leader of the House —received
on 19 March, the date of our last meeting — expressed "regret"
for recent delays in scheduling debates, adding:
"The delays have been due in part to time
taken in obtaining the information from the European Commission
requested by your Committee (for example in the case of the EU
Staff Regulations) and in part due to the need to secure agreement
across Government."[5]
2.6 Meanwhile, we have been made aware of concerns
that the Government's delay in scheduling a debate on the "Europe
for Citizens" Programme has jeopardised funding for civil
society organisations in the UK. The European Commission has
suggested that a number of the projects concerning the commemoration
of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War
and civic participation in the run-up to the May European Parliament
elections may be placed in jeopardy because of its inability to
make available grants under the Programme.
Conclusion
2.7 We wish to be clear — the delay in securing
scrutiny clearance for the draft Regulation establishing the "Europe
for Citizens" Programme is entirely attributable to the Government
and now appears to be having an unintended and detrimental impact
on civil society organisations. We can see no justification for
the Government's near four-month delay in scheduling the debate
in European Committee and note emphatically that neither of the
reasons advanced by the Leader of the House — the need for
further information from the Commission and time to secure agreement
across Government — applies in this case.
2.8 As the Government has now, belatedly, scheduled
a debate for 2 April, we consider that it should take its course
so that the Minister can be held to account for the unconscionable
delay in this case.
2 The predecessor programme for the period 2007-13
had a budget of €215 million. Back
3
See headnote. Back
4
Letter of 26 February 2014 from the Chair of the European Scrutiny
Committee to the Leader of the House. Back
5
Letter of 19 March 2014 from the Leader of the House to the Chair
of the European Scrutiny Committee. Back
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