Chapter 3: Scrutiny of EU documents and other work
Introduction
68.Beyond the Committee’s Brexit-related work, the Committee has continued to fulfil its responsibilities to consider European Union documents and other matters relating to the European Union. This section of the report highlights some of the most significant aspects of this work during the 2016–17 Session.
Other reports
69.As well as the 17 Brexit-related reports set out in the previous chapter, the Committee also published policy reports on unaccompanied migrant children in the EU and on the legality of EU sanctions.49
Unaccompanied migrant children in the EU
70.In February 2016, the Home Affairs Sub-Committee launched an inquiry into the plight of unaccompanied migrant children in the EU. The Committee heard evidence from a wide range of practitioners and experts in the field, visiting Brussels in April to take evidence from MEPs, NGOs, intergovernmental organisations and the Commission. In May, in a session arranged with the help of Save the Children and the Children’s Society, Members met a number of unaccompanied migrant children and young adults who had arrived as children.
71.The report was published on 26 July 2016.50 We identified a number of underlying, cross-cutting problems affecting unaccompanied migrant children. These have contributed to deplorable reception conditions, while prolonged uncertainty about children’s legal status has left them ‘living in limbo’. This has in turn exposed vulnerable children to smugglers and human traffickers—it is conservatively estimated that at least 10,000 unaccompanied migrant children are currently missing in the EU. Our report called for integrated child protection systems focused on the best interests of the child, improved data collection and sharing, and more effective cooperation between EU institutions, Member States, EU Agencies, regional and local authorities, NGOs and individual professionals.
72.The report was debated on the floor of the House on 1 November 2016, and a response from the Government was received the same day.
The legality of EU sanctions
73.In February 2017, we published a short report for information on The legality of EU sanctions, following a short inquiry by the Justice Sub-Committee.51 Based on evidence from key actors in the field, including lawyers who have represented both the Council of Ministers and individuals who are the subject of EU sanctions listings, the report acknowledged the importance of EU sanctions as a foreign policy tool and as a means of persuading individuals and regimes to change their behaviour. But we also suggested that the Council introduce a codified standard of proof for the imposition of sanctions, and that the Member States show more caution in re-listing on amended reasons individuals who have succeeded in the Courts in having their listings overturned. We urged the Government to assist effective scrutiny of EU sanctions regimes by sharing with Parliament the open-source material used as evidence by the Council when imposing sanctions.
74.The Government responded in April, accepting many of our arguments, but challenging our main findings regarding the re-listing of individuals and the sharing of open-source material with Parliament. In a letter dated 6 April, we told the Government that we “remain unconvinced” by its counter-arguments. We also called on the Government to draw on the report’s findings in its current public consultation on the UK’s post-Brexit approach to sanctions.
Scrutiny of EU documents
75.This Committee and the European Scrutiny Committee in the House of Commons have agreed with the Government the types of documents that need to be deposited by the Government in Parliament for consideration, including all legislative proposals made by the European Commission.
76.During the 2016–17 Session, the Chairman sifted 763 Explanatory Memoranda (EMs) relating to deposited documents, of which 140 (18%) were referred to the Select Committee or a Sub-Committee for examination. The figures for the previous session were 746 and 213 (29%) respectively. This demonstrates how, in the wake of the referendum, the Committee has sought to streamline its approach to scrutiny, concentrating its efforts on the most significant documents and proposals. Yet, notwithstanding the referendum result, the Committee’s scrutiny function remains vital. Any legislative proposals that come into force before UK withdrawal takes effect will form part of the acquis which the Government has indicated it will incorporate into UK law through the forthcoming Repeal Bill. If they come into force after UK withdrawal, then they potentially lead to regulatory divergence between the UK and the EU, which could have an impact upon future cooperation or trade. In either case, parliamentary scrutiny of the proposals is essential.
77.The distribution of scrutiny of Explanatory Memoranda among the Sub-Committees is shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Explanatory Memoranda considered by Sub-Committee
Committee |
Number of EMs considered |
|
Select Committee |
5 |
|
Energy and Environment |
20 |
|
External Affairs |
11 |
|
Financial Affairs |
29 |
|
Home Affairs |
27 |
|
Internal Market |
34 |
|
Justice |
14 |
|
Total |
140 |
78.The scrutiny of documents that have been sifted for examination is a substantial undertaking. Typically, examination includes an exchange of correspondence with the relevant minister, but it can also result in a one-off evidence session or a seminar with stakeholders to discuss important issues raised by the document. Where appropriate, the Committee may produce a short report on its findings. A flow-chart, illustrating in simplified form the scrutiny process as a whole, is set out below.
Figure 1: The scrutiny process
Scrutiny overrides
79.Scrutiny overrides occur when ministers give agreement to proposals without waiting for the House of Lords European Union Committee or the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee to complete their scrutiny work. In certain circumstances they can be difficult or impossible to avoid, for example in fast-moving international situations (which is why the FCO is generally responsible for most overrides). But in other cases overrides can represent a failure either of the proper conduct of EU scrutiny by Parliament, or of the Government to respect its commitments to Parliament. Table 2 shows the number of scrutiny overrides, broken down by Department, from January 2011 to December 2016.
Table 2: Scrutiny overrides by Department52
Period |
Total |
Departments responsible |
|
Jan–June 2011 |
33 |
FCO (30); Defra (2); HMT (1) |
|
July–Dec 2011 |
41 |
FCO (36);HMT (4); DFT (1) |
|
Jan–June 2012 |
46 |
FCO (33); HMT (5); Defra (3); BIS (2);HO (2); MOD(1) |
|
July–Dec 2012 |
19 |
FCO (15); HMT (3); BIS (1) |
|
Jan–June 2013 |
25 |
FCO (23); BIS (1); HMT (1) |
|
July–Dec 2013 |
18 |
FCO (15); BIS (2); Defra (1) |
|
Jan–June 2014 |
23 |
FCO (19); BIS (4) |
|
July–Dec 2014 |
45 |
FCO (34); BIS (5); CO (3); HMT (1); HO (1); MOJ (1) |
|
Jan–June 2015 |
54 |
FCO (46); MOJ (3); BIS (2); HMT (1); DCMS (1); HO (1) |
|
July–Dec 2015 |
50 |
FCO (42); HMT (7); DCMS (1) |
|
Jan-June 2016 |
36 |
FCO (29); BIS (3); DCMS (1); Defra (1); HO (1); MOJ (1) |
|
July-Dec 2016 |
25 |
FCO (22); DCMS (1); Defra (1); HMT (1) |
80.There were 61 overrides during 2016 as a whole—the lowest total during a calendar year since 2013, and a reduction from 104 in 2015. During the 2016–17 session itself, there were 51 overrides (FCO 41; BEIS 3; DCMS 2; Defra 2; MOJ 1; HO 1; HMT 1). This was the lowest sessional figure since 2013–14. As in previous sessions, a large majority of overrides were in relation to FCO scrutiny items.
81.Notwithstanding these encouraging trends, some regrettable overrides occurred following scrutiny failures on the part of the Government. For instance, the Justice Sub-Committee’s scrutiny of the proposed Regulation on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws did not progress smoothly. In February 2017, citing “rapid progress” in the Council, the Minister decided to override the scrutiny reserve. In a letter dated 14 March 2017, the Committee expressed its disappointment with the Minister’s decision, arguing that denying Members an opportunity to consider the latest text “was not how we expect Government to behave”. The letter also invited the Minister to appear and explain her decision. In April, following an apology from the Minister and undertakings that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy had put safeguards in place to avoid a similar occurrence, the Committee decided that it was no longer necessary to hear from the Minister in person.
82.The Home Affairs Sub-Committee also experienced overrides during the session. The most notable was on proposals for the signature and conclusion of an EU-US Umbrella Agreement on data protection in law enforcement, which was raised with the Minister in a dedicated evidence session on 1 February 2017. Other notable overrides included a Council Decision permitting Europol to conclude an operational agreement with Denmark, rushed through in order to beat the May 2017 deadline for concluding operational agreements under the old Europol Council Decision rather than the new Europol Regulation.
83.The scrutiny reserve in respect of the Council Directive on tax avoidance was overridden on 17 June 2016. A waiver had been issued by the Financial Affairs Sub-Committee on 18 May to allow the Government to vote in favour of the measure at Council on 25 May. In the event, agreement was reached on 17 June but the Government did not take the opportunity to seek clearance or a further waiver before that meeting.
Other scrutiny issues
84.The Committee has encountered a number of other issues with Government departments in the handling of scrutiny.
85.The Energy and Environment Sub-Committee has expressed concern that Departments, particularly Defra, are overwhelmed by their Brexit workload, which is manifesting itself in late responses, poorly drafted letters and poor handling of the scrutiny process. Committee staff have several times corresponded with departmental officials about the poor quality of EMs and factual inaccuracies contained in scrutiny documents. For instance, officials noted that an EM on a Commission Report on the implementation of food waste legislation had been copied from a 2013 document, without being updated.
86.The Home Affairs Sub-Committee wrote to the Minister for Digital and Culture, Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, complaining at his failure to answer the Committee’s questions about the General Data Protection Regulation, and the handling of the override on the EU-US Umbrella Agreement on data protection in law enforcement referred to above. The Sub-Committee invited the Minister and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to appear before it in a one-off evidence session regarding that Department’s handling of scrutiny. The session was pre-empted by Dissolution.
87.A proposal for a Regulation regarding the rules for wholesale roaming markets was deposited by DCMS in summer 2016. The Internal Market Sub-Committee wrote to the Minister in October 2016 noting that it expected to receive an EM on a related Implementing Act, which would establish Fair Use and Sustainability policies to underpin the abolition of mobile roaming charges (‘roam-like-at-home’). The Implementing Act was never deposited, and the Minister’s response instead asked the Committee for scrutiny clearance for the Implementing Act, to be agreed at an upcoming Communications Committee meeting.53 The same letter failed to request clearance on the proposed roaming Regulation.
88.The Sub-Committee wrote to the Minister in December 2016 to express its disappointment that the Implementing Act had not been deposited, and asking a number of policy questions. No response was received, and when the Minister wrote in February 2017 to confirm that a General Approach on the roaming Regulation had been agreed, fair use policies and the Implementing Act were not mentioned.
89.The External Affairs Sub-Committee considered the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Union and Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 on protection against subsidised imports from countries not members of the European Union on 12 January 2017. The Sub-Committee wrote to the Minister, Lord Price CVO to express disappointment at the lack of detail in the Explanatory Memorandum, which was light on policy implications, and to request further information on Market Economy Status for China, the EU’s commitments at the WTO, and the timeline for the proposal. The Committee was not satisfied with Lord Price’s response, and requested oral evidence on the issue. Amanda Brooks, Director (Trade Remedies, Access and Controls), Trade Policy Group, Department for International Trade, gave evidence on 2 February. The Committee wrote again to Lord Price on 2 February and 2 March, and continues to hold the proposal under scrutiny.
90.These examples suggest that standards may be slipping within Government in its fulfilment of its parliamentary scrutiny obligations. While we understand the Government’s focus on Brexit, which is placing an extraordinary strain on resources, we have responded by approaching scrutiny with a lighter touch, sifting fewer documents for detailed scrutiny and showing considerable flexibility in clearing documents expeditiously or allowing waivers. The Government, regardless of Brexit, must in return honour its obligations to uphold proper parliamentary scrutiny, and we look to these issues being addressed and corrected early in the new session.
The scrutiny work of the Committees
91.We now consider the scrutiny work undertaken by each of the EU Committees.
Cross-cutting issues
The Commission Work Programme
92.In October 2016, the Commission published its Work Programme for 2017, entitled Delivering a Europe that protects, empowers and defends. The Select Committee invited each of the Sub-Committees to scrutinise the proposals within their remits. This fed into a composite letter from the Select Committee to the Commission, sent on 1 February 2017.
93.In that letter, the Committee welcomed the Commission’s focus “on the important things” and on “doing things better”. The Committee therefore welcomed the overall approach adopted in the Work Programme, and the Commission’s commitment to making sure that existing European laws are properly applied and enforced and remain fit for purpose, and to ensuring that principles of better regulation, accountability and transparency continue to be applied. This included the continued commitment to introducing a reduced number of new proposals, to withdraw existing dossiers or subject them to the REFIT programme. The Committee welcomed the commitment to a joint declaration by the European Parliament, Commission and Council setting out the top priorities and objectives for the year ahead. The Committee also stressed the importance of providing national parliaments with an opportunity to comment on the Work Programme.
Energy and Environment
Clean energy
94.In 2016, as part of its Clean Energy for All Europeans initiative, the Commission brought forward proposals in the field of energy policy.54 These included measures on electricity market design, renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy governance, all designed to implement the 2030 climate and energy framework. The Energy and Environment Sub-Committee began to scrutinise this package in the session, though the proposals are at a relatively early stage of development and contain elements that have yet to be fully clarified. They are therefore likely to form a significant part of the Sub-Committee’s scrutiny work in the new session.
EU Emissions Trading System
95.The Sub-Committee continued to scrutinise the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), which will be entering the next phase of implementation in 2021. The Sub-Committee questioned the effectiveness of the scheme and the amendments proposed for the new phase, which will run from 2021–2030+.
96.The Sub-Committee is seeking clarification as to what plans, if any, the Government has to continue participating in the EU aviation ETS, or, in the absence of continued participation in the scheme, how the Government intends to mitigate greenhouse gas emission from aviation in the period between the UK leaving the EU and the new, global mechanism for off-setting emissions from aviation, which is expected to come into force from 2021 onwards.
97.The Sub-Committee also scrutinised the revision of the Effort Share Decision, which regulates emissions from sectors that are not covered by the EU ETS (such as agriculture and transport). The revision seeks to ensure the EU meets its commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Sub-Committee investigated the inclusion of land use in the revised methodology, and is querying the effect of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on the proposed allocation of emissions reductions.
Fertilisers
98.The Sub-Committee also continued to scrutinise a draft Regulation on fertilisers. The proposal would set limits on the amount of cadmium that fertilisers can contain. The Government favours a higher threshold for cadmium content than that proposed by the Commission, but has failed to explain why this higher threshold is needed. The Sub-Committee took evidence from the Minister, George Eustice MP, and a senior official from Defra in January 2017.
One-off sessions
99.The Committee took evidence from Professor Christopher Elliot, founder of the Institute for Global Food Safety, on food integrity and food fraud. The session explored the highly integrated food supply chains that exist on a European and global scale, and the impact that food fraud can have on the integrity of those supply chains.
100.To inform its future inquiry work, the Committee also conducted a one-off session with Professor Michael Grubb and Antony Froggatt of Chatham House, exploring the implications of Brexit on energy and climate change policy. A similar session focusing on the environment was conducted with Martin Nesbit of the Institute for European Environmental Policy, Dr Charlotte Burns and Professor Andrew Jordan. The Sub-Committee hosted a round table discussion in April 2017 to inform its forthcoming short report on Brexit and farm animal welfare.
External Affairs
EU trade defence instruments, dumped imports and Market Economy Status for China
101.The External Affairs Sub-Committee considered EU proposals on the modernisation of EU trade defence instruments, protection against dumped imports, and Market Economy Status (MES) for China. Following an exchange of letters with Lord Price CVO, Minister of State for Trade Policy, the Sub-Committee took oral evidence from Amanda Brooks, Director (Trade Remedies, Access and Controls), Trade Policy Group, Department for International Trade, on 2 February 2017. The Committee asked about the UK Government’s view on MES for China, the methodology for calculating anti-dumping margins, and the new UK trade remedy framework after Brexit. Following the session the Sub-Committee wrote to the Government to request regular updates on these issues.
Libya and Operation Sophia
102.On 7 July 2016 the Sub-Committee heard evidence from Peter Millett, British Ambassador to Libya, on the political and security situation in Libya. It also followed up on its 2016 report on ‘Operation Sophia’, the EU naval mission that seeks to prevent people-smuggling across the central Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. It took evidence on 30 March 2017 from Joseph Walker-Cousins, Senior Fellow, the Institute for Statecraft, and officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development. The Sub-Committee will publish a short follow-up report in the new Parliament.
Franco-British meeting on the Lancaster House Treaties
103.In July 2016 Lord Stirrup represented the Sub-Committee at the biannual Franco-British parliamentary meeting on the Lancaster House Treaties in Paris. The meeting brought together members of the French Assemblée Nationale, the French Sénat, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Lancaster House Treaties, signed in 2010, established close co-operation on defence issues between the two countries, both at the operational and industrial levels. In February 2017 Baroness Verma and Lord Stirrup represented the Sub-Committee at the Franco-British parliamentary meeting in London, hosted by the House of Commons. Discussion focused on defence procurement and nuclear co-operation.
Financial affairs
Securitisations
104.The European Commission launched the Securitisations Regulation in autumn 2015, and the Sub-Committee has held it under scrutiny since that time. The Regulation is part of the Capital Markets Union initiative and is designed to regulate more closely the conversion of loans or assets into securities. The Financial Affairs Sub-Committee’s scrutiny has focused on the implications of the European Parliament’s efforts, as part of the ongoing negotiations on the draft Regulation, to introduce a range of additional strictures (such as on risk retention) that diverge from existing international standards.
Banking package
105.On 23 November 2016 the Commission proposed a suite of amendments to existing financial regulations such as the Capital Requirements Regulation and Directive, and Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive, referred to collectively as the ‘banking package’. These amendments primarily seek to harmonise international standards with existing EU regulations, and in some cases they seek to prevent Member State supervisors from imposing additional standards. Negotiations are still at an early stage, but Sub-Committee scrutiny to date has focused on the elements of the package that diverge from the Financial Stability Board agreement on which many of the revisions are based.
Tax Transparency Directive
106.This proposal seeks to require large multinational enterprises operating in the EU to publish details of their country-by-country activities, thereby increasing tax transparency and encouraging payment of the proper amount of tax in the appropriate territory. The Sub-Committee saw it as a pragmatic step towards tackling tax avoidance, while the Government was particularly concerned by the proposal to require country-by-country reporting of a company’s activities in certain non-EU jurisdictions that were deemed to be ‘non-cooperative’. Recent negotiations have revolved around the respective roles of the Commission and the Council in drawing up the list of such jurisdictions.
Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base
107.In late 2016 the Commission revived a proposal to create a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base, the previous attempt having met resistance in the Council. In its correspondence with the Committee, the Government stated its opposition to the proposal, and progress in Council appears to have been slow.
VAT
108.In spring 2016 the Commission published its VAT Action Plan, which proposed a number of short- and medium-term measures to reduce business burdens and to tackle VAT fraud. This was followed by legislative measures later in the year, including to harmonise the VAT treatment of physical and electronic publications, which the Sub-Committee welcomed. Changes to Low Value Consignment Relief are likely to affect the UK once it has left the EU: the Sub-Committee has sought further details from the Government.
Central counterparties
109.The Commission has proposed a new regulation on the recovery and resolution of central counterparties (CCPs), which would enact a regime comparable to that in the Bank Resolution and Recovery Directive (BRRD). Initial scrutiny has examined the overlap between the proposed legislation and the UK’s existing regime for resolving distressed CCPs.
Interparliamentary dialogue
110.The Chairman of the Financial Affairs Sub-Committee, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, attended the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the EU in Bratislava on 16–18 October 2016. On 24–25 January 2017 the Sub-Committee visited Brussels to take evidence from MEPs and other experts as part of its inquiry into Brexit and the EU budget. On 9 February 2017 members of the Committee met a delegation of EPP members of the European Parliament’s ECON Committee in Westminster.
Internal market
Digital Single Market
111.Over the past year the European Commission has continued to take forward its Digital Single Market Strategy, which aims to create an internal market for the online sale of goods and services throughout Europe.
112.In June 2016 the Internal Market Sub-Committee considered a Communication on the second major package of Digital Single Market initiatives focusing on the strategy’s third pillar, which aims to encourage the update of digital technologies by industry. The Committee welcomed the Commission’s focus on engagement with industry, closer coordination between national and European initiatives, and use of the Better Regulation REFIT process, noting that this aligned well with the findings of the Committee’s 2016 report on Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market.55
113.In late 2016 the Government committed to sending quarterly updates on the Digital Single Market Strategy to scrutiny committees of both Houses. The first of these updates was received in March 2017.
Connectivity package
114.In September 2016 the European Commission proposed a package of measures aiming to place the EU at the forefront of Internet connectivity. The most significant elements of this package included a draft Directive for a European Electronic Communications Code and proposed reforms to the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC).
115.The Sub-Committee held a one-off evidence session with Ofcom, BT Group Plc, Telefónica S.A., and Viber Media in February 2017, and also received written evidence from the UK Competitive Telecommunications Association. This evidence was used to inform a letter to the Commission outlining the Sub-Committee’s concerns regarding the implications of the proposals for investment and competition, digital exclusion areas, the universal service obligation, spectrum management, and ‘Over The Top’ services.
Posting of workers
116.In March 2016 the European Commission proposed to amend the Posting of Workers Directive, with a view to ensuring that posted workers across the EU should receive the same rates of pay as native workers, thereby promoting the principle that “the same work at the same place should be remunerated in the same manner”. The Sub-Committee found that the proposal raised important questions about how to balance the equal treatment of workers across the EU with competitiveness and free movement in the Single Market, and pressed the Government to provide a more thorough analysis of the proposal’s policy implications and to clarify its position on this initiative.
117.The Sub-Committee did not consider that the proposal breached the principle of subsidiarity but negotiations were delayed after 14 Member State Parliaments and Chambers, mostly from eastern Europe, issued Reasoned Opinions, thereby triggering a ‘yellow card’. After reviewing the proposal, the Commission indicated its intention to proceed, and working group discussions recommenced in September 2016. The Sub-Committee continued to seek further information on the Government’s assessment of the economic and legal implications of the proposal, as well as its justification for opting out of aspects related to the Rome I Regulation despite the lack of a Title V legal base.
Vehicle emissions
118.In June 2016, the Internal Market Sub-Committee visited the Millbrook vehicle emissions testing laboratory, as part of its scrutiny of a series of EU measures proposed following the Volkswagen emissions scandal in 2015. Members toured the facility’s full-scale crash test laboratory and test track. Members also visited the technology innovation centre, Transport Systems Catapult, to see a demonstration of a driverless car prototype.
Home Affairs
Security Union
119.In November 2016, the Home Affairs Sub-Committee was the first parliamentary committee to take evidence from the UK’s new European Commissioner, Sir Julian King, in connection to his responsibilities for the Security Union. On the Security Union, the Committee is currently scrutinising proposed changes to the Anti-Money Laundering Directive and the Cash Control Regulation, among others.
Data protection
120.In February 2017, the Sub-Committee decided to launch an inquiry on Brexit and the EU Data Protection Package, following a one-off evidence session with the Minister for Digital and Culture, the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP. The Sub-Committee is also scrutinising proposals related to data protection, including the Commission’s Communication on exchanging and protecting data in a globalised world, and a proposed Regulation on the processing of personal data by EU agencies.
Other scrutiny
121.In May 2016 the Sub-Committee decided to undertake a short inquiry to consider whether the United Kingdom should opt into the Commission’s proposal to reform the Dublin Regulation, which sets out the rules for determining which Member State is responsible for deciding on any asylum application made in the EU. In the wake of the June 2016 referendum, however, the question of whether the UK should opt into specific proposals in the field of Justice and Home Affairs was subsumed into wider questions about future UK-EU relations. The Sub-Committee therefore decided to terminate its inquiry, though it continues to hold a range of documents relating to the reform of the Common European Asylum System under scrutiny, including the proposals for a new Dublin Regulation and for a new Eurodac Regulation.
122.The Sub-Committee also continues to scrutinise proposed reforms to Schengen Border Management, for example the proposal for a European Travel Information and Authorisation System.
Justice
Scrutiny work
123.The EU Justice Sub-Committee began its consideration of a proposed Inter-Institutional Agreement that will reform the regulation and interaction of ‘lobbyists’ with the EU Institutions and a proposed Regulation introducing the mutual recognition of confiscation and freezing orders. The Justice Sub-Committee also continued its consideration of the Commission’s significant legislative proposals addressing the introduction of consumer protection rights for the purchase of digital content and the online sale of goods, and of the EU legislation providing for the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention on violence against women. In relation to the latter, the Committee continued to press the Government to explain why having signed the Convention in 2012 it had not yet ratified it here.
Corporate social responsibility
124.As part of ongoing cooperation with the French Assemblée Nationale on its proposed Green Card calling for EU legislation on Corporate Social Responsibility, Lord Cromwell travelled to Paris to represent the EU Justice Sub-Committee in discussions with the Assemblée.
49 The other report published during the session was the European Union Committee, Report on 2015–16 (3rd Report, Session 2016–17, HL Paper 35)
50 European Union Committee, Children in crisis: unaccompanied migrant children in the EU (2nd Report, Session 2016–17, HL Paper 34)
51 European Union Committee, The legality of EU sanctions (11th Report, Session 2016–17, HL Paper 102)
52 Cabinet Office (CO); Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS); Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS); Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra); Department for Transport (DFT); Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO); HM Treasury (HMT); Home Office (HO); Ministry of Defence (MOD); Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
53 The Communications Committee (COCOM) assists the Commission in carrying out its executive powers.
54 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank: Clean Energy for All Europeans, COM(2016) 0860 final.
55 European Union Committee, Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market (10th Report, Session 2015–16, HL Paper 129)