Consultation procedure
- EU Parliament in Brussels (Photo: EP)
Consultation procedure
The oldest method of involving the European 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 by a simple majority.
The Commission and Council have no duty to follow, or even read, the response of the Parliament. However, 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.
The Lisbon Treaty has made the ordinary
legislative procedure the general rule for legislation, giving the European
Parliament much more influence.
Links
http://europa.eu/legislation_s......ary/consultation_procedure_en.htm
http://europa.eu.int/instituti......s/decision-making/index_en.htm
