Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-06-04-Speech-3-296"
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"en.20030604.8.3-296"2
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"Madam President, since the European Council of Lisbon in March 2000, the Member States have agreed that the open coordination method should be extended as an instrument from employment to other areas. Best practice should be disseminated, and quantitative and qualitative indicators laid down; European directives should be implemented in national and regional policy, while of course observing the principle of subsidiarity, and put into practice in national action plans.
So far, so good. But if one begins to get the impression that it is about levelling down, or if it comes to setting social policy standards without a proper legal basis for doing so, or if there is perhaps an attempt to dictate to Member States and to sideline national regulations, then the OCM is not acceptable in its present form. It is certainly possible and sensible to strengthen cooperation among the Member States in policy areas where the European Union has only limited power. It must, however, be geared towards improving the exchange of information and experience.
When applying the OCM, meanwhile, the competence boundaries set out in the Treaties must be taken into consideration. Many fellow Members have already voiced their criticism on a number of serious issues. This instrument can only be complementary, and by no means represents an alternative, to important legislative measures. At the same time, the European Parliament may not be ignored any more than national parliaments. On this point too, I agree with the previous speakers. We in the European Parliament often see ourselves being put under pressure of time. For example, when the European Commission consults us on the annual Guidelines on the European Employment Strategy, but sends us the reports so late – I had to go through this myself at the beginning of the year – that thorough, professional consultation suffers as a result. The OCM is formulated by national experts, who are doubtless top-notch, but they develop the content of the OCM without legitimisation by Parliament. The European Parliament is the only Community institution capable of exercising control over these political processes, including the OCM.
I support the demand of Mrs Smet that national parliaments too should be given due influence, and we must not forget the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, the Committee on Regional Policy, and the social partners, who must likewise be consulted. What is more, they must be consulted from the outset. Despite all the important points made in this report, despite the planned request to the Commission to first of all draw up a study, and despite the call for a broad-ranging debate on the effectiveness of the OCM, I still have serious reservations about a method that takes this form and is based on these principles."@en1
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