European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola have signed a revised Framework Agreement setting out how the two EU institutions will work together.
The agreement will take effect after it is published in the EU’s Official Journal, the Commission announced on Tuesday.
It replaces an earlier version signed in 2010 after the Lisbon Treaty, which reformed how the EU makes laws and shares powers between its institutions.
Von der Leyen said citizens “look to the European Union as a whole” and that the institutions “must work together even more closely”.
Under the revised agreement, the European Commission said it will continue to follow up on legislative initiatives adopted by the European Parliament, while applying EU principles including proportionality and subsidiarity — the idea that decisions should be taken at the most appropriate level, as close to citizens as possible.
The European Parliament will provide “detailed reports on the necessity, financial implications and burdens” when preparing such initiatives
More information-sharing in crises and international deals
The Commission said it will give the Parliament a “full justification and explanation” when it proposes legal acts using the EU’s “Emergency Clause”, which allows normal legislative procedures to be bypassed in exceptional crisis situations.
It also committed to informing Parliament and its committees “in a timely and comprehensive manner” about initiatives not foreseen in the Commission work programme.
The Commission also stated it will encourage Commissioners to attend plenary sittings and committee meetings when requested by Parliament, while Parliament will “regularly assess” how to improve the attendance of its members during plenary debates.
On international agreements, the Parliament will be informed and the Commission will provide justification “as early as possible” if it intends to apply agreements provisionally.
