7 Citizens' dialogues
| Committee's assessment
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision | Cleared from scrutiny
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| Document details | Commission report: Citizens' dialogues as a contribution to developing a European public space
|
| Legal base | —
|
| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|
Summary and Committee's conclusions
7.1 Citizens' dialogues have formed a central part of the 2013
European Year of Citizens. They are modelled on "town hall"
meetings and are intended to provide a public forum for debate
on European themes. The Commission report provides an overview
and assessment of the 51 citizens' dialogues held between September
2012 and March 2014. It says that the dialogues have a central
role to play in rebuilding trust in the EU and in developing a
European Public Space which is based on shared values while also
taking into account national and regional perspectives. The report
recommends continuing the dialogues in order to bring "a
truly European perspective to the debate with national constituencies"
and to discuss "the bold changes required to build an even
more democratic Union".[11]
7.2 The Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
considers that citizens' dialogues do not offer a durable solution
to the problem of democratic legitimacy within the EU and that
a stronger role, and greater powers, for national parliaments
are needed to plug the democratic deficit. Our First Report,
agreed on 4 June, provides further details on the Government's
proposals to enhance democratic legitimacy.
7.3 We suggested that the Minister's advocacy of
greater powers for national parliaments was difficult to reconcile
with the substantial delay within Government in responding to
our Report on scrutiny reform. We asked him to explain:
· which
"partners" the Government has been working with "to
increase democratic legitimacy within the EU" and whether
this includes "partners" in Parliament;
· what
consultation there has been with Parliament on the Government's
proposals;
· what
thresholds the Government considers would be appropriate for issuing
a yellow card, a late card and a red card; and
· when
and by whom a "Governance Manifesto" for the incoming
Commission would be agreed, and what role national parliaments
would have in considering its content and implementation.
7.4 We recognise the efforts made by the Minister,
not least through his appearances before this and other Select
Committees, to inform Parliament of the Government's reform
proposals, including strengthening the role of national parliaments.
However, we asked specifically about consultation with
Parliament. There is scope for a much more open dialogue with
Parliament in developing proposals for reform, and considering
their practical feasibility, rather than simply announcing them
at the end of the process. The example given by the Minister
of a "priorities document" agreed by the European Council
in June to inform the work of the incoming Commission is instructive.
The political significance of these strategic and high level
documents is self-evident, yet there is little, if any, scope
within the existing institutional framework for national parliaments
to make a meaningful contribution to shaping their content.
7.5 Whilst we welcome the Minister's advocacy
of a stronger role, and greater powers, for national parliaments
at EU level, we remind him that there is much work to be done
domestically to improve the way in which this House scrutinises
the Government.
7.6 First and foremost, we still await the Government's
response to our Report on scrutiny reform — which was due
at the end of January, nearly six months ago. To cite a further
recent specific example, in early April we recommended a floor
debate on the strategic guidelines for EU justice and home affairs
to 2020 — a subject of immense importance to this House
in light of the UK's 2014 block opt-out decision — so that
Members would have the opportunity to express their views on the
strategic direction of a policy area which has such a direct bearing
on the rights and interests of individual citizens. The Government
has had ample opportunity to make time available for a debate
ahead of the June European Council, which agreed the strategic
guidelines by consensus, but has failed to do so. We suggest
to the Minister that the absence of a debate, or any explanation
for the delay, does little to advance democratic legitimacy either
domestically or at the highest level of governance within the
EU.
7.7 We look forward to exploring these and other
issues in our evidence session with the Minister on 16 July.
As we have no further questions to raise on the Commission report,
we are content to clear it from scrutiny.
Full details of
the documents: Commission Report: Citizens'
dialogues as a contribution to developing a European public space:
(35935), 8428/14 + ADD 1, COM(14) 173.
Background
7.8 The Commission's report on citizens' dialogues
acknowledged that trust in governance and political leadership
at both EU and national level has been severely damaged by the
economic and financial crisis. It noted that, whilst there was
widespread support for "EU values" based on democracy,
the rule of law, human rights and equality, and a desire for EP
elections to offer "competing political ideas" addressing
"the main underlying themes of unity, democracy and solidarity",
a significant majority of Europeans "feel that their voice
is not being heard". The report concluded that citizens'
dialogues had helped to give the EU institutions "a human
face", enabled EU Commissioners and other politicians to
gain fresh insights, and recommended that they should be continued
beyond the May 2014 EP elections.
7.9 Our Forty-eighth Report of 7 May and our First
Report of 4 June 2014 provide a more detailed overview of the
content of the Commission report and the Government's proposals
for strengthening the democratic legitimacy of the EU and its
institutions.
The Minister's letter of 1 July 2014
7.10 The Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington)
notes our concern at the Government's delay in responding to our
Report on scrutiny reform, which he attributes to "the wide
ranging nature of the report and the breadth of interested stakeholders
across Government", and adds:
"I would like to reassure you that my priority
remains ensuring that the Government provides a thorough response
as soon as is possible."
7.11 He says that addressing the lack of democratic
accountability in the EU is "a top priority for the Government",
and continues:
"We see strengthening the role of national
parliaments in the EU's functioning as key to this. This issue
is therefore one which the Foreign Secretary and I raise with
our counterparts from across the EU in every conversation we have
on EU reform. The same is true at official level.
"Our discussions have shown that the democratic
deficit is a genuine concern across Member States and within the
EU institutions. I have seen a real change in the attention given
to the issue over the past year — for example it has been
addressed on several occasions at the General Affairs Council.
The results of the European elections reiterate the importance
of recognising the widespread disillusionment with the EU and
the need to address voters' concerns through reform.
"The lesson I draw from my conversations
is that many agree on the importance of Europe becoming more focused,
the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality being better
upheld, and on giving national parliaments a greater and more
effective role in the EU's functioning. Dutch Foreign Minister,
Frans Timmermans, for example, has called for national parliaments
to be given a red card whilst French President Francois Hollande
has said that Europe has become too remote from voters.
"I agree with the Committee on the crucial
role which Parliament and parliaments in other Member States have
to play in this process. We will be able to move further and
faster the more that national parliaments themselves vocally call
for a strengthened role.
"I also welcome the regular opportunities
to discuss the Government's EU reform proposals with Parliament
including through contributions to Select Committee reports, in
debates and through conversations with parliamentarians.
"The Government has recently submitted written
and oral evidence covering our proposals for strengthening the
role of national parliaments in the EU's functioning to three
Select Committee inquiries. These include your Committee's own
report on scrutiny reform, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs
Committee's report on the future of the EU, and the House of Lords
European Union Select Committee's report on the role of national
parliaments in the EU. I appreciate these opportunities for dialogue
which also help to inform Government policy."
7.12 The Minister reiterates the Government's commitment
to reforming the 'yellow card' procedure under the Protocol on
the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality
so that it is easier for national parliaments to challenge EU
legislation on both grounds. He continues:
"This includes lowering the threshold of
the number of parliaments required to trigger a yellow card from
the current one third. The Dutch proposal for a late card, which
we support, advocates giving parliaments the opportunity to exercise
the yellow card prerogatives after co-decision is complete and
therefore the threshold needed would relate to that of the yellow
card. As for the red card, the Government's proposal is that
if an agreed proportion of national parliaments (perhaps a simple
majority) issued reasoned opinions covering subsidiarity or proportionality,
the Commission would be forced to withdraw its proposal."
7.13 Turning to the Government's support for a 'Governance
manifesto' for the incoming Commission, the Minister notes that
at the informal dinner of Heads of State and Government on 27
May, the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy,
was mandated to take this process forward, based on a "priorities
document" agreed at the June European council. He adds:
"We encourage national parliaments to set
out their vision for the next Commission, including the role that
they seek for national parliaments."
Previous Committee Reports
First Report HC 219-i (2014-15), chapter 10 (4 June
2014); Forty-eighth Report HC 83-xliii (2013-14), chapter 7 (7
May 2014).
11 See p15 of the Commission report. Back
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