ZEI Monitor: EU Progress 2014-2019

ZEI follows policy progress in the ten areas which have priority for EU institutions over the period 2014-2019:

Commission Priority: Making the EU more Democratic

Objectives

Creating a mandatory register for organisations and individuals lobbying the Commission, Parliament and Council.
Working with the European Parliament and the Council to remove unnecessary red tape at both European and national level.
Finding ways to deepen cooperation between national parliaments and the Commission.
Reviewing the laws that oblige the Commission to authorize genetically modified organisms(GMOs), even when a majority of national governments is against this.
Increasing the number of women in management and other administrative positions in the Commission.

European Commission Work Program:

2019

Communicating Europe

2018

Communicating Europe

Doing less more efficiently - Subsidiarity

Better Regulation: On the 23rd of October 2018, the European Commission published a Communication on how to strengthen subsidiarity and proportionality in EU policy-making. The Commission will, for example, integrate the 'subsidiarity grid' proposed by the "Task Force on subsidiarity, proportionality" into all its impact assessments and explanatory memoranda; the grid is a tool to guide the analysis of subsidiarity and proportionality in a structured way. (Press release)

Task Force on Subsidiarity and Proportionality: On the 10th of July 2018, the 'Task Force on Subsidiarity and Proportionality' presented its Final Report. In it, it proposes to assess subsidiarity and proportionality more consistently by all levels of government, on the basis of a "model grid" – comparable to a subsidiarity and proportionality checklist. The new approach should be applied to the existing body of European Union legislation and to all new political initiatives. (More)

Launch of the Task Force on Subsidiarity and Proportionality: On the 18th of January 2018, the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker appointed six members to the 'Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and "Doing Less More Efficiently"'that he announced in September 2017 in his State of the Union Address. The Task Force will work under the Chairmanship of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and will report to the President by 15 July 2018. (More)

Funding of Political Parties

Entry into Force - Rules on European Political Parties and Foundations:

On the 3rd of May 2018, the Regulation on the Statute and Funding of European Political Parties and European Political Foundations came into effect. (More)

Legislative Proposal - Rules on European Political Parties and Foundations:

On the 13th of September 2017 - as a follow-up to President Juncker's State of the Union Address - the European Commission published a Proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 on the statute and funding of European political parties and European political foundations to increase their transparency, strengthen enforcement of public money abuses and to reclaim funds. (More)

2017

Modernisation of Comitology Procedures

Proposal - Comitology Procedure: On the 14th of February 2017, the European Commission presented a Proposal for a Regulation for a Revision of the Comitology Procedure to increase the accountability for the implementation of EU legislation. If put into law, the voting rules in the last step of the Comitology Procedure, the Appeal Committee, would no longer allow abstentions and the votes of member states' representatives would be made public. This way, the Commission aims to make national positions more transparent. Furthermore, the new Regulation would allow the Commission to make a second referral to the Appeal Committee at ministerial level if national experts do not take a position. (More)

Reform of the European Citizens' Initiative

Proposal - Reform of the European Citizens' Initiative: On the 13th of September 2017, the European Commission put forward a Proposal for a Regulation to make the European Cititzens' Initiative (ECI) instrument less burdensome and more user-friendly.

A More Strategic Approach to Enforcement of EU law

Online Register for Delegated Acts: On the 12th of December 2017, the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission launched a new online register to facilitate the tracking of EU decisions taken in the form of delegated acts. (More)

2016

Proposal for an Inter-Institutional Agreement on a Mandatory Transparency Register

Public Consultation - Mandatory Transparency Register: On the 1st of March 2016, the European Commission launched a public consultation on a mandatory Transparency Register. During 12 weeks stakeholders, civil society and citizens are invited to introduce their ideas and suggestions in relation to the current regime for registration of interest representatives who seek to influence the work of the EU institutions. (More)

Proposal - Mandatory Transparency Register:

On the 28th of September 2016, the European Commission proposed an Interinstitutional Agreement on a Mandatory Transparency Register covering all three EU institutions – the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission in order to ensure the transparency of lobbying activities. The new proposal is intended to make meetings with decision-makers from the three institutions conditional on prior registration in the Transparency Register, building on the existing voluntary Transparency Register of the Parliament and the Commission, which was introduced in November 2014. (More)

An EU Agreement on Better Law-Making (from 2015)

Entry into force - Better Law-Making Agreement: On the 13th of April 2016, the Interinstitutional Agreement (IIA) on Better Law-Making came into effect. The IIA is based on a Commission proposal from the 19th of May 2015.

2015

An EU Agreement on Better Law Making

Public Consultation - Better Regulation Agenda: On the 1st of July 2016 the European Commission opened up another part of the EU decision-making process for stakeholder input. In line with its commitments under the Better Regulation Agenda and the broad effort to increase transparency in the EU Institutions, as of 30 June, draft delegated and implementing acts will now be put online and open for public feedback for a period of four weeks. This new online feedback tool is part of the Commission's new, user-centred web presence. (More)

Proposal - Better Regulation Agenda: On the 19th of May 2015, the European Commission adopted a Proposal for an Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Regulation which sets out the Commission's plans of how to apply impact assessments, stakeholder consultations and ex-post evaluation of existing legislation as key tools of the 'Better Regulation'-Agenda, with the aim of reaching an agreement with the European Parliament and the Council before the end of 2015. (More)

A Mandatory Transparency Register

Review of the GMO Decision Making Process

Genetically Modified Organisms: On the 22nd of April 2015, the Commission presented the results of its review of the decision making process for Genetically Modified Organisms. The review confirmed the need for changes to allow national governments to have a greater say on the use of GMOs. The Commission has proposed to amend legislation. (More)

Fact Sheet

ZEI Insights

The Challenge of Introducing a Mandatory Lobbying Register by Katarzyna Nowicka No. 61 December 2018 (Download)

One goal – two ways: Testing the feasibility of Macron and Juncker’s EU visions by Thomas Panayotopoulos and Robert Stüwe No. 51 October 2017 (Download)

Managing the Forces of European Populism: The next election to the European Parliament in May 2019 may become the first pan-European referendum by Ludger Kühnhardt No. 40 July 2016 (Download), Original published in: The Globalist, July 19, 2016, (Link)

EU Institutional Governance: Exploiting the Potential for Democratic Reform by Henri de Waele No. 36 (Download)

An EU Transparency Register in Progress by Velyana Topalova No.24 June 2015 (Download)

In pursuit of Better Regulation by Sally Brammer and Thomas Panayotopoulos No.23 June 2015 (Download)

Governance challenges towards better regulation and transparency by Maria Kapiniaris No.17 March 2015 (Download)

Not a pack of bureaucrats: The new European Commission by Sally Brammer No.1 December 2014 (Download)

Further Publications

Christina Wunder, Communication and Campaigning in European Citizens‘ Initiatives (ZEI Discussion Paper C224)Bonn 2014 (Download) (Abstract)

Ludger Kühnhardt, Gibt es eine politische Philosopie der Europäischen Union? (ZEI Discussion Paper C223) Bonn 2014(Download) (Abstract)

Thorsten Kim Schreiweis, Die Demokratisierung der Europäischen Union (ZEI Discussion Paper C219) Bonn 2013(Download)

Frank Decker / Jared Sonnicksen,The Direct Election of the Commission President. A Presidential Approach to Democratising the European Union (ZEI Discussion Paper C192) Bonn 2009 (Download)

ZEI Publications on European Treaty Reforms

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