30 June 2014
On the establishment of a Commission working group on the role of national parliaments in the EU
Dear Mr. President-designate, Dear Mr. Juncker
We would like to congratulate you on your nomination as President of the European Commission.
We are confident that under your presidency, the European Commission will continue to be a positive force
for developing the European Union’s democratic legitimacy and not least for the political dialogue with
Member State national parliaments.
Democratic legitimacy is crucial for the European Union. But in the wake of the economic and financial crisis,
there are signs that this democratic legitimacy is fading. Europe needs a new relationship of cooperation
between the Union and its member states. Only together we can rebuild trust in the European project.
We – the signatories of this letter – therefore call on the new European Commission to set up a
working group, to include national parliamentarians and representatives of the EU institutions, to
look at the role of national parliaments in the EU. The task of the working group should be to draft an
action plan on ways to strengthen the role of national parliaments in the European Union.
Legitimacy and support for European decision-making must be built from the level of citizens upwards. The
European Parliament is an important voice for European citizens and plays its part extremely well. But
national parliaments and the European Parliament each have their own distinct roles, and they have a joint
responsibility to ensure that the European Union becomes truly accountable and democratic.
Effective involvement of national parliaments is fundamental to ensuring accountability, and legitimacy, for
the actions of the European Union. A stronger and more direct say for national parliaments in European
decision-making will encourage national parliamentarians to engage more in European affairs and to take
responsibility for policy output. National ownership of European decision-making is vital for increasing
citizens’ faith in European policy solutions.
It is generally agreed that national parliaments have important roles in scrutinising their national
governments’ approach to European affairs, and in acting as guardians of the subsidiarity principle. Scrutiny
procedures must be continuously reviewed and improved. Likewise, improvements in the procedures for
considering subsidiarity and proportionality are needed.
Meanwhile, there is a growing consensus among national parliaments that their role in European affairs must
go beyond monitoring the principle of subsidiarity and scrutinising national governments. National
parliaments must play a more active role in European decision-making.
To this end a number of proposals have been put forward by the Dutch Tweede Kamer, the UK House of
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Lords and the Danish Parliament. These proposals are all designed to respond to questions such as:
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Tweede Kamer:
Ahead in Europe - Report on the role of the Tweede Kamer and national parliaments in the EU
- May
2014. Folketinget:
Twenty-three recommendations to strengthen the role of national parliaments in a changing European