Help not signed in | Login

 EU Decision-Making Process

 


The "Community method"- key features:

  • The Commission has the monopoly to introduce legislative proposals
  • The Council of Ministers and the European Parliament co-legislate; the Council of Ministers decides by qualified majority in most cases
    • Codecision (equal EP/Council), Consultation (Council dominant/ EP consulted)
  • Member States implement EU policy in principle
  • The Court of Justice ensures the respect of the law in the interpretation and application of the Treaty

Codecision Procedure

First Reading

The Commission presents a legislative proposal to EP and Council simultaneously.
Parliament adopts amendments and submits them to the Council.
If the Council agrees with the outcome of Parliament’s first reading, the text is adopted. If the Council does not accept Parliament’s first reading vote, it draws up a common position.

 

 Second Reading

EP may approve the common position or take no decision, and the text is adopted in the form of the common position.
EP may reject the common position by an absolute majority of its members, in which case the text is rejected.
Or EP may table amendments to the common position. In this case: either the Council approves EPs amendments, and the text is adopted or the Council rejects them, and a Conciliation Committee (27 MEPs and 27 representatives of the Council) is convened.

 

 Conciliation

The Conciliation Committee adopts a ‘joint text’ based on the common position and the EP’s second reading amendments. If the Council and Parliament approve the ‘joint text’ in its entirety, the act is adopted. If the Conciliation Committee cannot agree on a ‘joint text’, or if Parliament or the Council does not approve it, the act is deemed not to have been adopted.