Bill to have Parliament oversee the Government's EU role

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill proposes that the Joint Committee for the European Union be able to set, through resolutions, the position the Government will defend at Council of the European Union meetings, and then check whether the Government complies with it.
2. The Government would have to appear before the full Congress of Deputies before and after every European Council, whether ordinary or extraordinary, to explain its position and the agreements reached.
3. Oversight of the subsidiarity principle would first be handled by the parliamentary committees with the relevant subject matter, and the Joint Committee would later unify the opinion on behalf of the Cortes Generales.
4. Ministers and senior officials chosen by the Joint Committee's board would have to appear before it before each Council of the European Union meeting to explain the Government's position.
5. A new provision is added to oversee EU funds from the Next Generation EU recovery package: ministries would report transfers between budget lines in writing, and the Government would appear before the Joint Committee every three months.
6. The law would take effect the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette, and the boards of both chambers would adopt the measures needed to implement it.

Who it affects

• The Government of Spain: It would have to appear before Parliament before and after every European Council and follow the position approved by the Joint Committee.
• The Joint Committee for the European Union: It would gain powers to set the Government's position, oversee it, and monitor Next Generation EU funds.
• The parliamentary groups of Congress: They could submit resolutions on Spain's position at European Councils.
• Committees of Congress and the Senate: They would first issue opinions on the subsidiarity principle based on subject matter.

Words worth knowing

Comisión Mixta para la Unión Europea (Joint Committee for the European Union)

A body made up of deputies and senators that oversees the Government's activity on European Union matters.

Principio de subsidiariedad (subsidiarity principle)

The idea that the European Union should act only when countries cannot do better on their own.

Consejo Europeo (European Council)

The meeting of heads of state or government of European Union countries.

Comparecencia (appearance)

When an official, such as a minister, appears before Parliament to explain a matter and answer questions.

Dictamen motivado (reasoned opinion)

An official, reasoned report issued by Parliament, for example to state that an EU rule violates subsidiarity.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries