Three European Institutions Sign Joint Declaration on EU Legislative Priorities for 2017

The President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, holder of the rotating Council Presidency, Robert Fico, and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker signed for the first time a Joint Declaration setting out the EU’s objectives and priorities for the 2017 legislative process.
Based on the Strategic Guidelines of the European Council and the 10 priorities assigned by the European Parliament to the Juncker Commission, the Presidents of the three European institutions agreed on a series of proposals to be prioritized in the legislative process. In this way, the EU is expected to achieve tangible results for its citizens and address Europe’s current urgent challenges.
In addition to the EU’s commitment to ongoing work on all legislative proposals already submitted, the Presidents of the three institutions defined in the Joint Declaration six areas where relevant proposals should be examined through expedited procedures. The Presidents of the Parliament, the Council and the Commission commit to facilitating their institutions’ efforts to achieve rapid legislative progress on these initiatives and, possibly, their implementation before the end of 2017. These six areas encompass the following: New impetus for jobs, growth and investment – Emphasis on the social dimension of the European Union – Better protection of our citizens’ security – Reform and development of our migration policy in a spirit of responsibility and solidarity – Fulfillment of our commitment to implement a connected Digital Single Market – Achievement of our goal for an ambitious Energy Union and a forward-looking climate change policy.
Furthermore, the three Presidents highlight four fundamental issues that require special attention and further progress within 2017: (i) adherence to common European values, the rule of law and fundamental rights; (ii) combating tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance; (iii) preserving the principle of free movement of workers and (iv) contributing to stability, security and peace.
This joint effort of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission is part of the new joint commitment and is explicitly provided for in paragraph 7 of the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making, which allows the Union to turn proposals into actions and achieve results where they are most needed.
Regarding the implementation of the Joint Declaration, the three institutions agreed on careful joint monitoring of progress at both political and senior official levels. At the political level, the implementation of the Joint Declaration will be jointly and regularly monitored through meetings of the presidents of the three institutions in March, July and November 2017. At the technical level, the implementation of the joint declaration will be jointly and regularly monitored within the framework of the Interinstitutional Coordination Group, which meets at senior official level (as provided for in point 50 of the interinstitutional agreement on better law-making).
To facilitate monitoring of the progress in implementing the joint declaration, a working document accompanying the joint declaration was drafted, which details the initiatives to be implemented through expedited procedures within 2017.
On March 15, 2016, the three European institutions agreed on a new Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making aimed at improving the quality and results of European legislation. This agreement brings changes throughout the policy-making cycle, from consultations and impact assessments to the adoption, implementation and evaluation of EU legislation. Based on this new agreement, joint agreements must be concluded on key issues that legislators should prioritize, such as the effort to simplify existing legislation.
Each year, the Council, Parliament and Commission will discuss the EU’s legislative priorities and agree on common top priorities for the coming year. This allows the three institutions to work more closely together to address the major challenges on the horizon.
Today’s joint declaration represents the first application of this new approach to results-oriented legislation. The declaration is also in line with the Commission’s Work Programme for 2017.