Commission Work Programme 2013

Mark Reckless Excerpts

Monday 7th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab)]

I begin with a general point about the European Commission. I am not a great defender or fan of the Commission, but it is important for us to remember that it is not a legislative body. It does not decide laws; it makes proposals and, usually through a process of co-determination or co-decision, other institutions, such as the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, are then involved in determining the law. That is when democracy comes into play. It is important to keep that perspective.

[Mark Reckless (Rochester and Strood) (Con)]

The hon. Gentleman says that the European Commission does not make law, but is it not the case that the European Commission has a monopoly on the proposal of law, and is therefore an essential and necessary part of law-making? To that extent, in European structures it does make law.

[Wayne David]

The hon. Gentleman is right. The European Commission has the sole right to initiate legislation. Nevertheless, it does not have the sole right to agree legislation; the initiatives the Commission formulates are the result of discussions in the European Parliament, and increasingly in the Council of Ministers. When we talk about democracy inside the European Union, it is important to recognise that this Parliament has a pivotal role. If anything has clearly come out of the debate, it is the fact that this Parliament does not take European legislation and formulation as seriously as it ought to do.