Resolution of the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committee
of the Senate of the Republic of Poland
of 5 July 2001
on the role of national parliaments in the European architecture in view of
the enlargement of the European Union and the Intergovernmental Conference 2004
The Senate Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committee:
- conscious of the fundamental importance of strengthening the EU democratic legitimacy, development of the catalogue of common values and implementation of the principle of solidarity for the process of European integration;
- convinced that the latest European Council summit in Gothenburg draws nearer the prospect of the European Union enlargement;
- responding to the call for a debate on the future shape of the European Union, included in the Declaration on the Future of the
- taking note of a decline in the support for European integration among the societies of many European Union member states as well as candidate countries;
A. expresses its conviction that strengthening the role of national parliaments in the European architecture and of the European Parliament in the EU decision-making process is of fundamental importance to the democratic order of the future European Union;
B. wishes to stress the necessity for the Parliament of Poland to undertake initiatives aimed at preparing the country for effective functioning in an enlarging European Union, and particularly the need to supplement the Constitution of Poland with provisions defining internal decision-making procedures applied by Polish state institutions with regard to EU affairs so as to confer democratic legitimacy on these decisions, with an appropriate role reserved for the Polish parliament, and furthermore:
1. establishment of appropriate organisational structures in the Parliament of Poland with
a view to enable its effective participation in the decision-making process with regard to EU affairs;
2. establishment of regulations committing the government to keep the Polish parliament properly informed on EU-related matters, particularly as concerns the government's participation in the work of the EU Council;
3. harmonisation of the program of work of the Polish parliament with the rhythm of work of EU legislative institutions;
4. preparation of the legal framework of the elections to the European Parliament in
5. elaboration of the terms of collaboration between Polish members of the European Parliament and the Polish parliament and government;
6. consideration of the possibility of opening a liaison office of the Polish parliament in the European Parliament;
C. wishes to express its support for initiatives undertaken by the parliaments of EU member states and candidate countries, as well as the European Parliament, aimed at reducing the democratic deficit and strengthening the civil dialogue in an enlarging European Union, in particular initiatives directed at:
1. ensuring the broadest possible participation of societies and their democratically elected representatives, both in EU member states and in candidate countries, in the debate on the future of Europe;
2. involving the candidate countries, together with their parliaments, in the work on the Laeken declaration and in preparations for the Intergovernmental Conference 2004;
3. taking into consideration in the preparations for the Intergovernmental Conference 2004 the positive experience of the Convention that has prepared the draft of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; in case of setting up of an institution which would continue the method of work of the Convention, ensuring a proper representation therein of national parliaments from EU member states as well as from candidate-countries;
4. introduction into the EU treaties a guarantee of such time frames which would enable national parliaments an effective oversight over national governments in EU-related matters, including in particular their participation in the process of the EU law making;
5. giving national parliaments a greater impact within the process of EU primary and secondary law making as well as on decisions made with regard to the Union's pillars: second (common foreign and security policy) and third (co-operation in the field of Justice and Home Affairs);
6. extension of parliamentary scrutiny so as to encompass the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), what is particularly important for Poland following its participation in ESDP operations;
7. increasing the European Parliament's role in the EU institutional system and its influence on the composition of the European Commission;
8. strengthening the cooperation between the committees from the national parliaments of EU member states and candidate countries in the areas of priority to successive EU presidencies;
D. pointing to the call for participation of citizens, both from EU member states and from candidate countries, in the debate on the future of Europe, included in the Resolution of the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committee of the Senate of the Republic of Poland on preparation for the membership of Poland in the European Union, dated 31 March, 2000, wishes to propose the following practical steps:
1. consideration by the Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) of the possibility of deeper incorporation into activities of the Conference of representatives of the parliaments from candidate countries, by way of incorporating them into activities of the COSAC working groups as well as by granting them the right to vote on COSAC contributions in cases that would concern the future of the EU after enlargement referred to in the Nice Declaration on the Future of the Union;
2. consideration of the possibility of permanent incorporation of the Speakers of parliaments from candidate countries into activities of the Conference of Speakers of the EU Parliaments, which constitute the highest level of the debate on the role of national parliaments in the EU in view of its enlargement.
E. Concurrently, the Committee:
1. follows with interest the course of the discussion on the creation of a second chamber of the European Parliament;
2. suggests to the Senates of EU member-states and candidate countries to make an attempt to respond to the question regarding their future role in the European architecture, taking into account their political and historical specificity, as well as their experience of the role they have played to date in the decision-making process in EU affairs;
3. positively evaluates the broadening, during the Belgian presidency, of the formula of the Conference of Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of the Member States of the European Union, of the European Parliament and of the Parliaments of the Candidate Countries to include chairpersons of the defence committees, what enables a more thorough debate on the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy;
4. considers that a further improvement of the instruments of parliamentary control of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy is necessary;
5. wishes to point at the urgent need to elaborate detailed solutions as concerns the broadest possible inclusion of candidate countries into the work leading to the Intergovernmental Conference 2004.
The Senate Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committee:
conscious of the utmost significance of the debate on the future of the European Union initiated during the Swedish presidency, wishes to express its conviction that the debate should lead to an integration of the European continent in the name of the spirituality, culture and foundations of the civilisation (acquis de la civilisation) rooted in the history of Europe, and in accordance with the main objectives of the European Union, namely: pursuit to guarantee security, peace, freedom and well-being, as well as to close the economic and social development gap between EU member states and regions.