Consultation procedure
- EU Parliament in Brussels (Photo: EP)
The oldest method of involving the EU Parliament in EU legislation.
The EU Commission and Council consult the European Parliament by sending a document to it before the content is made law (pre-legislative). The Parliament can decide upon an opinion with a simple majority.
The Commission and Council have no duty to follow, or even read, the response of the Parliament. But they must respect the procedure. In the so-called isoglucose-case the European Parliament got the EU Court to annul a decision which was made without the consultation procedure being properly followed.
Notes
The consultation procedure is used in taxation, trade, agricultural policy, and Justice and Home Affairs matters.
The future
The Lisbon Treaty proposes to make co-decision the general rule for legislation, giving the European Parliament more influence, although some areas will remain under the consultation procedure.
Links
Consultation procedure in Scadplus http://europa.eu/scadplus/glos....../consultation_procedure_en.htm
