The Commission has no excuse for bypassing the Parliament’s budget oversight when giving away EU cash in times of crisis, Parliament President Roberta Metsola told reporters on Thursday after meeting with European leaders.
The EU executive, led by Ursula von der Leyen, can no longer “hide behind the excuse that the Parliament takes too long in order for decisions to be taken,” Metsola said, arguing the EU legislature has reformed itself to be able to take speedy decisions. “Never before were decisions taken so quickly.”
The Commission recently unveiled a plan to borrow €150 billion and then lend the money to EU countries to invest in defense in response to the uncertainty surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. However, it used a special procedure to avoid the need for the Parliament to approve it, available under Article 122 of the EU’s founding treaties.
While the Commission has vowed it’s a one-time emergency measure, lawmakers are having flashbacks: The same procedure was used in 2020 to pass the €700 billion Covid-19 recovery fund.
Now the Parliament’s leaders fear it could become a pattern.
“Why would you seek a solution that goes around your best ally on this topic, where majorities are clear? I can tell you that it is a point shared unanimously, quite [rarely] by all political groups in the Parliament,” Metsola said.
On March 5, shortly after the Commission unveiled her multi-billion rearmament plan, von der Leyen got a unanimous earful from all the chairs of the Parliament’s political groups who, though understanding the need for quick action, warned her that snubbing their budgetary scrutiny could be detrimental to the EU’s democratic accountability.
“I look at this with a sense of realism, understanding the urgency, but also saying that we stand our ground,” Metsola said during the press conference.
The use of the fast-track procedure is one of the key bones of contention in a new “Framework Agreement” between the two institutions, currently being negotiated by Metsola and von der Leyen, which will outline workflows between them.
The Parliament is pressing for a commitment that lawmakers will receive a justification and detailed information when the Commission decides to use the fast-track procedure. The Council, however, is stoutly resisting any concessions, arguing that further involvement by the Parliament goes against the EU treaties.
EU Parliament chief: Please, Ursula, stop dodging us when spending big bucks
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