-
On 1 July 2009, Sweden took over the Presidency of the EU. This means that for six months, Sweden is leading the EU's work and is responsible for moving important EU issues forward.
The Presidency of the Council rotates between the Member States. The Presidency rotates on a half-yearly basis. The country presiding over the Council functions as the driving force in the EU's legislative and political decision-making process.
The Presidency is a unique opportunity for Sweden to lead and influence work on important EU issues. At the same time, the country holding the Presidency must be flexible and prepared to deal with unexpected issues.
Overview of the Work of the Joint Committee
Background
The work of the Joint Committee on European Affairs is primarily informed by
the policies and legislative proposals which emanate from the European Union
including the Committee’s priorities in relation to EU matters which
are of special importance for Ireland. At the beginning of each year the Committee
draws up a work programme which sets out the main topics the Committee will
address during the coming year. An interim review of the work programme
is undertaken after 6 months to ensure that all items listed are still relevant
and are being progressed as planned and also to determine whether any further
items need to be added to the work programme.
Inter-parliamentary co-operation plays an important part in the work of the Committee. The Committee maintains close links and exchanges strategic information with its counterpart committees in the other 26 EU national parliaments and with the European Parliament. These committees meet every six months in the member state holding the rotating EU Presidency under the umbrella of COSAC and can remain in close contact and exchange information, ideas and experiences through the IPEX inter-parliamentary EU information exchange website.
Meetings of the Committee
The Committee meets on average once every week during the parliamentary calendar to deal with matters set out in its annual work programme. Meetings of the Committee are usually held in public and are televised within the Leinster House complex. Video recordings of meetings are available to broadcasting organisations and a transcript of proceedings is published after each meeting.
The Committee holds discussions and exchanges views with invited speakers on a wide range of subjects, including for example EU institutional reform, agriculture and trade policy, enlargement and the EU’s relations with its immediate neighbours. It holds a monthly meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs or the Minister of State for European Affairs prior to each meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels.
Cooperation with the European Commission
On 1 September 2006 the European Commission began a new initiative
of forwarding all draft EU legislative proposals, Commission consultation
documents and the Commission’s Annual Policy Strategy and Annual
Legislative and Work Programme directly to national Parliaments upon publication.
The Commission forwards these documents to national parliaments at the
same time as to the European Parliament and the Council. In undertaking
the direct transmission of documents to national parliaments the Commission
invited them to provide their comments ‘so as to improve the process
of policy formulation’. The European Council on 15-16 June 2006,
called on the Commission to ‘duly consider’ comments by national
parliaments – in particular with regard to the subsidiarity and proportionality
principles.
The aim of this initiative is to promptly and fully inform national parliaments of the Commission’s legislative and policy initiatives and to purposefully involve them in the EU decision-making process at an early stage. Commenting on this initiative, Commissioner and Vice-President Margot Wallström, responsible for relations with national parliaments, said: ‘A greater voice for parliaments is a greater voice for Europe’s citizens. The Commission sends a signal to the national parliaments that we will inform them and we will listen to them. Their comments will be carefully considered.’
This development has significantly increased the potential level of influence which national parliaments can have on the EU policy development and legislative process as it proceeds. The Houses of the Oireachtas, through the Joint Committee on European Affairs and the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny, is using this opportunity to have greater input into the European decision-making process in a timely and ongoing basis by sending contributions to the Commission on proposed EU legislation and policy formulation. This initiative has facilitated the Houses of the Oireachtas in contributing to European policy in the upstream stage of the Commission’s legislative programme.
Contribution to the Period of Reflection
During the European Union’s period of reflection the Joint Committee
has given a high priority in its work programme to raising national awareness
of European Union issues and to reconnecting the citizen to the European
Union project. In this regard the Committee has concentrated its focus on
matters of practical relevance to citizens such as the migration of EU nationals,
the challenges facing the agriculture sector and the retraining of employees
made redundant under the EU’s proposed Globalisation Fund.
Contribution to Policy
The Committee presents reports, including recommendations, to the Houses
of the Oireachtas. In drawing up these reports the Committee considers
a wide range of views and information so that through the Committee’s
reports the Houses of the Oireachtas are better informed of the issues
involved.
A particular focus of the Committee’s work has been immigration given that 10 per cent of the population of Ireland is now made up of this group. In April 2006, the Committee presented an interim report to the Houses of the Oireachtas entitled An Initial Assessment of the Position of European Union Migrant Workers in Ireland post 2004. The report outlines the key issues and challenges faced in this country in relation to putting in place a sustainable immigration programme.
As a follow-up to the interim report, the Committee commissioned a study of best practice in the integration of immigrants in other European countries. In March 2007 it presented its findings and recommendations in a final report Migration and Integration Policy in Ireland. The report proposes, inter alia, the allocation to a single Government Department of overall responsibility for all matters relating to the integration of immigrants and the establishment of a National Forum on Integration, chaired by the designated Government Department, to facilitate consultation and continuing dialogue between State representatives and bodies and recognised immigrant organisations.