European Law Chapter 4 2019-2020
CHAPTER 4
THE EXERCISE OF THE NORMATIVE FUNCTION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
How do European Union institutions…?
2 MAIN FORMS OF THE DECISIONMAKING
1. Internal decision making
2. External
A. …make decisions that are binding within the EU
Reminders
- Historical evolution of decision-making procedures reflecting increasing involvement
of the EP
- Importance of the choice of legal basis
• The legal basis; tells you what type of legislative procedure for the adoption for
the legal act
• The adoption is not only regulated by a set of procedures, but also part of a
legislative cycle (under)
- Distinction between secondary and tertiary law + binding instruments defined in Art.288
TFEU (regulation, directive or decision)
Doc.analysis.11. What is the legal base for the Proposal for a directive
1/22
,European Law Chapter 4 2019-2020
1. Legislative procedures
1…. adopt legislative acts
Preliminary remarks on the ‘legislative cycle’
allows all the interested actors to watch what the EU is doing and to interact
After the adoption there is a process of reflection on how to prepare and asses legislation, the
adoption is part of a legislative cycle. The reflect on what to propose and is it still fitting .
Programming the legislative agenda of the EU
o The Commission announces what will be the main proposes for the following year
commission announces its agenda, not binding: gives an overall idea of what
the main initiatives are
o Idea of what the commissioners priorities are
o Since 2016; tries to anticipate the preparation with the Parliament and the Council
Coordinate the legislative agenda
The commission remain the only organ to initiate the agenda
N.B.Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the
European Commission on Better Law-Making (OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1–14.)
Impact assessments
o When the Commission contemplates new legislation, it commits as often as possible
to try to asses in an anticipatory matter what will be the impact of the foreseen
legislation (f.e. an economic impact assessment/ fundamental)
it will reflect on what the impact of what it wants to do will be on for example the
member states
o Way of rationalize the process of decision-making and to bring expertise
o This is before the EU-act is adopted
Regulatory fitness and performance programme or REFIT
o Even after the legislation is adopted; the Commission needs to regularly reassess the
legislation
they will try to make sure that there is not too much legislation: it is critical on
the legislation of the commission
o To provide good quality of legislative act
2/22
, European Law Chapter 4 2019-2020
Article 289(1-2) TFEU: two types of legislative procedures
legal basis tells what procedure must be used for the adoption of an act
1. ordinary legislative procedure: ordinary + joint adoption by the European Parliament
and the Council
a. one ordinary procedure
b. it is the most commonly used
c. a procedure that involves the Parliament and the Council
i. used to be called the co-decision
2. special legislative procedures: in specific cases provided for by the Treaties + adoption
by the Council with the participation of the European Parliament (or by the European
Parliament with the participation of the Council)
a. the main feature is that it is the Council that will adopt the act and the Parliament
can only gives its advise, …
If any of this procedures has been used (“legislative” in the name); means that the outcome is a legislative
act
Legal acts adopted by any of these 2 types of legislative procedure shall constitute legislative
acts
What type of procedure?
The legal basis tells us this
a. Legislative initiative
In principle, exclusivity of legislative initiative for the Commission within the TFEU (Art.17(2)
TEU & Art.289(1) TFEU)
exclusivity has a number of important consequences :
o Commission decides whether or not to submit a legislative proposal + determines its
subject-matter, objective and content
When to propose something etc
This is why the Commission is seen as the driver of the procedure of integration
o In certain cases however, initiatives may come from elsewhere (Art.289(4) TFEU: a
group of Member States, EP, ECB, CJ or European Investment Bank -> if so, specific
rules apply for the ordinary legislative procedure see Art.294(15) TFEU)
if the context of the CFSP for example
3/22
CHAPTER 4
THE EXERCISE OF THE NORMATIVE FUNCTION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
How do European Union institutions…?
2 MAIN FORMS OF THE DECISIONMAKING
1. Internal decision making
2. External
A. …make decisions that are binding within the EU
Reminders
- Historical evolution of decision-making procedures reflecting increasing involvement
of the EP
- Importance of the choice of legal basis
• The legal basis; tells you what type of legislative procedure for the adoption for
the legal act
• The adoption is not only regulated by a set of procedures, but also part of a
legislative cycle (under)
- Distinction between secondary and tertiary law + binding instruments defined in Art.288
TFEU (regulation, directive or decision)
Doc.analysis.11. What is the legal base for the Proposal for a directive
1/22
,European Law Chapter 4 2019-2020
1. Legislative procedures
1…. adopt legislative acts
Preliminary remarks on the ‘legislative cycle’
allows all the interested actors to watch what the EU is doing and to interact
After the adoption there is a process of reflection on how to prepare and asses legislation, the
adoption is part of a legislative cycle. The reflect on what to propose and is it still fitting .
Programming the legislative agenda of the EU
o The Commission announces what will be the main proposes for the following year
commission announces its agenda, not binding: gives an overall idea of what
the main initiatives are
o Idea of what the commissioners priorities are
o Since 2016; tries to anticipate the preparation with the Parliament and the Council
Coordinate the legislative agenda
The commission remain the only organ to initiate the agenda
N.B.Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the
European Commission on Better Law-Making (OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1–14.)
Impact assessments
o When the Commission contemplates new legislation, it commits as often as possible
to try to asses in an anticipatory matter what will be the impact of the foreseen
legislation (f.e. an economic impact assessment/ fundamental)
it will reflect on what the impact of what it wants to do will be on for example the
member states
o Way of rationalize the process of decision-making and to bring expertise
o This is before the EU-act is adopted
Regulatory fitness and performance programme or REFIT
o Even after the legislation is adopted; the Commission needs to regularly reassess the
legislation
they will try to make sure that there is not too much legislation: it is critical on
the legislation of the commission
o To provide good quality of legislative act
2/22
, European Law Chapter 4 2019-2020
Article 289(1-2) TFEU: two types of legislative procedures
legal basis tells what procedure must be used for the adoption of an act
1. ordinary legislative procedure: ordinary + joint adoption by the European Parliament
and the Council
a. one ordinary procedure
b. it is the most commonly used
c. a procedure that involves the Parliament and the Council
i. used to be called the co-decision
2. special legislative procedures: in specific cases provided for by the Treaties + adoption
by the Council with the participation of the European Parliament (or by the European
Parliament with the participation of the Council)
a. the main feature is that it is the Council that will adopt the act and the Parliament
can only gives its advise, …
If any of this procedures has been used (“legislative” in the name); means that the outcome is a legislative
act
Legal acts adopted by any of these 2 types of legislative procedure shall constitute legislative
acts
What type of procedure?
The legal basis tells us this
a. Legislative initiative
In principle, exclusivity of legislative initiative for the Commission within the TFEU (Art.17(2)
TEU & Art.289(1) TFEU)
exclusivity has a number of important consequences :
o Commission decides whether or not to submit a legislative proposal + determines its
subject-matter, objective and content
When to propose something etc
This is why the Commission is seen as the driver of the procedure of integration
o In certain cases however, initiatives may come from elsewhere (Art.289(4) TFEU: a
group of Member States, EP, ECB, CJ or European Investment Bank -> if so, specific
rules apply for the ordinary legislative procedure see Art.294(15) TFEU)
if the context of the CFSP for example
3/22
