Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1975 > Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities > Report No. 05 - European Parliament Budgetary Powers

IMEACHTAÍ AN CHOMHCHOISTE

PROCEEDINGS OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE

Dé Céadaoin, 7 Bealtaine, 1975

Wednesday, 7th May, 1975

1. The Joint Committee met at 4.30 p.m.

2. Members Present.

The following members were present:

Deputies Haughey (in the Chair), Desmond, Esmonde, Fitzgerald, Flanagan, Gibbons, Nolan and Staunton; Senators Robinson and Ryan. Apologies for inability to attend were received from Deputy Collins and Senators FitzGerald, Killilea and Lenihan.

3. Draft Report on Budgetary Powers of the European Parliament.

The Chairman brought forward a Draft Report which was read as follows:—

(i) Paragraphs 1 to 8 inclusive agreed to.

(ii) Paragraph 9.

Amendment proposed (Senator Robinson):

“Before the penultimate sub-paragraph to insert the following new sub-paragraph:—

‘The Social Fund was classified by the Commission as non-obligatory and accepted by the Council as such because the total expenditure from the Fund has not been limited by Regulation and can therefore be regarded as not necessarily resulting from an act adopted in accordance with the EEC Treaty. The European Parliament sought to have the Regional Development Fund put into this category also but the Council has been insisting that because the proposed expenditure for the next three years has been fixed by Regulation it must be treated as obligatory at least in that period’”.

Amendment agreed to.

Paragraph, as amended, agreed to.

(iii) Paragraphs 10 to 15 inclusive agreed to.

(iv) Paragraph 16.

Amendment proposed (Senator Robinson):

“To delete the first sentence and substitute the following:—

‘In general the Joint Committee welcomes moves to extend the budgetary powers of the European Parliament and views these developments as reinforcing the case for early direct elections to that body’”.

Amendment agreed to.

Paragraph, as amended, agreed to.

(v) Paragraph 17.

Amendment proposed (Deputy Staunton):

“To delete

‘At least at the present stage of the developments of the Communities’

in the first sentence”.

Amendment agreed to.

Paragraph, as amended, agreed to.

(vi) Paragraphs 18, 19 and 20 agreed to.

Draft Report, as amended, agreed to.

Ordered: To report accordingly.

4. Adjournment.

The Joint Committee adjourned at 5.45 p.m.