Spain ‘underestimated’ power of MEPs

Working accord might help institutional relations and governments were ‘unaware’ of Parliament’s new powers.

Spain is calling on the EU’s Council of Ministers to consider an accord on working relations with the European Parliament to improve political co-operation and ease tensions.

Diego López Garrido, Spain’s secretary of state for EU affairs, said that his country’s presidency of the Council of Ministers, which ended on Wednesday (30 June), learnt the hard way not to underestimate the new powers of MEPs under the Lisbon treaty.

“We feel the governments were not sufficiently aware of the new situation, of the new powers of the new Parliament,” López Garrido said in an interview with European Voice on his country’s six-month presidency.

Formalised relations

Member states have so far rejected any attempt to formalise their relations with MEPs, fearing that it could give the Parliament too much influence over the Council of Ministers. They rejected an offer by the European Commission that the Council join its negotiations with the Parliament on a framework agreement setting out the working relations between the two institutions.

“Perhaps an inter-institutional agreement could improve our relations, it could formalise the tasks of each institution,” López Garrido said. “I am not against it.”

Distinct institution

He said, however, that the Council of Ministers was distinct from the other institutions, as it represented national governments, and should “maintain a distance in order to develop properly the political culture of accountability”.

The Parliament’s vote rejecting an interim EU-US bank data-sharing pact caught member states by surprise in February. López Garrido acknowledged that the MEPs rejected the deal mostly because of concerns about data protection, but added that they also wanted to send a message to the Council that they should be taken more seriously now that the Parliament’s powers have been expanded by the Lisbon treaty. MEPs protested against a lack of consultation from member states over the issue.

Tough negotiations

Similarly, MEPs adopted a tough stance with Spain, other member states, and Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, over the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and during a review of the Council’s spending in 2008.

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López Garrido said that he had worked hard to take into account the Parliament’s new powers when trying to secure agreement on the Spanish presidency’s priorities, including the EEAS and a reworking of the EU-US banking data-transfer deal. He said the presidency was also happy it was able to get agreement on the new Europe 2020 strategy for jobs and growth, and a political deal on the European citizens’ initiative, which still needs the backing of MEPs.

“My advice to Belgian colleagues would be to take care of the European Parliament. You have to talk to the European Parliament constantly,” said López Garrido.