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30 September 2014
EUROPEAN DEBATES IN THE SEJM
On 12 September 2014, the Sejm accepted the information on the Republic of Poland's participation in the activities of the European Union in January-June 2014, during the Greek Presidency of the EU Council (resolution). The information was earlier debated in plenary on 10 September 2014, with participation of the Undersecretary of State in Foreign Affairs Ministry (verbatim record/PL, point 6).
EU DOCUMENTS IN THE SEJM

In September 2014 the EU Affairs Committee (SUE) held 8 meetings: no. 279-286. During these meetings the Committee: 

  • scrutinised 60 EU documents:
    • pursuant to Art. 7(4) of the Cooperation Act – 2 EU draft legislative acts concerning establishing a European Union agency for law enforcement training (Cepol) and introducing autonomous trade preferences for the Republic of Moldova,
    • pursuant to Art. 151(1) of the Sejm Standing Orders and Art. 3(2) of the Cooperation Act – 24 European Commission documents (8 communications and 16 reports concerning i.a. European Semester in 2014, EU development and external assistance policies and their implementation in 2013 or EU Strategy and Action Plan for customs risk management,
    • pursuant to Art. 11(1) of the Cooperation Act – EU documents, which were to be discussed by General Affairs Council, Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council and Justice and Home Affairs Council,
    • pursuant to Art. 8(2) of the Cooperation Act – 21 EU draft legal acts concerning i.a. mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, an amendment to Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement, on cooperation in specific fields outside the four freedoms (Health programme) or approving the macroeconomic adjustment programme for Cyprus,
  • gave a positive opinion on the candidature of Elżbieta Bieńkowska for the position of the European Committee member in the term 2014-2019 (mtg no. 279),
  • heard information on the special meeting of the European Council on 30 August 2014, presented by Piotr Serafin, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (mtg no. 282),
  • together with Public Finance Committee heard information on the progress of the banking union, presented by Artur Radziwiłł, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Finance (mtg no. 284),
  • considered information on legislative proceedings relating to the implementation of EU directives for which the transposition deadline has expired or will expire within the next three months (as of 29.08.2014), presented by the representatives of appropriate ministries (mtg no. 285).

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In September 2014 information on and documents of SUE meetings no. 280, 281, 283, 286, provided by the EU Affairs Committee secretariat, were published in the EDL-S (European Legislative Documents in the Sejm) and IPEX databases.

WORK IN COMMITTEES

 Education, Science and Youth Committee

  • 24.09.2014, considered the information of the Minister of National Education on supporting of the Polish education from UE funds in the new financial perspective 2014-2020 (mtg no. 172);

Innovation and New Technologies Committee

  • 17.09.2014, took note of the information on modern technologies and smart specialization in the Regional Operational Programme for the Małopolskie Voivodeship (ROP MV) and considered the information on the instruments of support and development of innovative enterprises in the context of the objectives of the Operational Programme Smart Growth and ROP MV (mtg no. 132);

Agriculture and Rural Development Committee

  • 25.09.2014, heard the information of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development on the Government actions in order to eliminate the consequences of the Russian Federation's embargo on the import of food products from the EU (including information on proposals - challenged by the European Commission - for compensation for the embargo and dissolution of the emergency reserve in the amount of approx. 400 million euros) (mtg no. 208).
IMPLEMENTATION OF EU LAW - UST DATABASE
 In September 2014
  • the following bills implementing EU law have been referred to the first reading [papers no.]:
    • Government bill amending the act on trading in financial instruments and some other acts [2734],
    • Government bill amending the act on prevention of marine pollution from ships [2748].
  • the following act implementing EU law has been adopted [paper no.]:
    • Act of 26 September 2014 on commercial quality of agricultural and food products and the act on the safety of food and nutrition [2683].
  • the following acts implementing EU law have been published [papers no.]:
    • Act of 29 August 2014 on the energy performance of buildings [2444],
    • Act of 25 July 2014 amending the act on goods and services tax and the act - Tax Ordinance [2507].
SUBSIDIARITY CHECK IN NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS

Subsidiarity scrutiny in September
(Information from IPEX database as of 01.10.2014)

Draft legislative act Deadline for subsidiarity scrutiny Adoption / transmission of reasoned opinion Chamber / parliament (country)
COM(2014) 344 15.09.2014 -  -
COM(2014) 340 22.09.2014  -  -
COM(2014) 367 22.09.2014  -  -
COM(2014) 382 22.09.2014  -  -
COM(2014) 379 6.10.2014  -  -
COM(2014) 397 6.10.2014  18.09.2014 / 22.09.2014 Federal Council (Austria)
COM(2014) 476  20.10.2014  -  -
COM(2014) 556  11.11.2014 -  -
COM(2014) 581 21.11.2014 - -
COM(2014) 465 25.11.2014  -  -
COM(2014) 557 26.11.2014 - -
ALL REASONED OPINIONS OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS IN IPEX

In September 2014 11 draft legislative acts were subject to subsidiarity scrutiny. As of 1 October 2014, the national parliaments submitted 1 reasoned opinion on the non-compliance of these draft acts with the subsidiarity principle.

INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION

29-30 September 2014, Rome, Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Economic and Financial Governance of the EU (in the agenda: Interparliamentary Conference under Article 13 of the Fiscal Compact)

- A European path to growth: re-launching investment and reducing inequalities
- EU economic and financial governance tools
- Completing the banking union and financing the real economy
- Coordination of European tax policies and the case of the digital economy
- Debate on the draft Rules of Procedure of the Conference

RECENT PUBLICATIONS
New books in the Sejm Library Przegląd Sejmowy Kronika Sejmowa (EN)

ON THE OIDE WEBSITE

In the section Legal and Systemic Issues

New information and documents were added to the articles: Banking union, Eastern Partnership, Parliamentary documents on the EU-Ukraine association.

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LATEST DEBATES - COMMENTS

 Articles on the current political and economic issues in the EU from the specialist periodicals available on-line (accessed 02.09.2014)

 New Commission, new President of the European Council