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30 June 2017
EUROPEAN DEBATES IN THE SEJM
On 22 June 2017 the Sejm adopted the resolution on declaring the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU (COM(2017) 253 final) to be incompatible with the subsidiarity principle (with reasoned opinion).
EU DOCUMENTS IN THE SEJM
In June 2017 the EU Affairs Committee (SUE) held 8 meetings: no. 134-141. During these meetings the Committee:
  • scrutinised 123 EU documents:
    • pursuant to Art. 7(4) of the Cooperation Act – 4 EU draft legislative acts concerning i.a.: conditions and procedure by which the Commission may request undertakings and associations of undertakings to provide information in relation to the internal market and related areas; Draft Amending Budget No 3 for 2017; directive of the EP and of the Council on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU,
    • pursuant to Art. 151(1) of the Sejm Standing Orders and Art. 3(2) of the Cooperation Act – 21 EC documents (7 communications, 10 reports, 1 joint report, 1 white paper, 1 proposal for decision and 1 reflection paper) concerning i.a.: harnessing globalisation; application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in 2016; assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment,
    • pursuant to Art. 11(1) of the Cooperation Act – EU documents, which were to be discussed by: General Affairs Council, Justice and Home Affairs Council, Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Environmental Council, Economic and Financial Affairs Council and Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council,
    • pursuant to Art. 8(2) of the Cooperation Act – 43 EU draft legal acts concerning i.a.: suspending the autonomous Common Customs Tariff duties on certain agricultural and industrial products; position to be adopted on behalf of the EU with regard to certain resolutions to be voted in the framework of the International Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV); signing, on behalf of the EU, and provisional application of the Agreement between the EU and Iceland on supplementary rules in relation to the instrument for financial support for external borders and visa, as part of the Internal Security Fund, for the period 2014 to 2020,
  • scrutinized information on the European Council meeting planned for 22-23 June 2017 (presented by Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Konrad Szymański) (mtg no. 135),
  • adopted opinion no. 22 on document COM(2017) 257 (mtg no. 140),
  • adopted the Committee’s work programme for the period from 1 July 2017 to 31 December 2017 (mtg no. 140),
  • examined and adopted positive opinion intended for the Public Finances Committee on the report on implementation of the state budget for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016 together with the Analysis of the Supreme Audit Office, in the scope of the SUE competence (mtg no. 141).

SUE together with Public Finances Committee as well as Economy and Development Committee:

  • took note of the information on the recommendations for Poland regarding the implementation of the European Semester 2017 (presented by Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Development Adam Hrymszczak) (mtg no. 136).

 

SUBSIDIARITY SCRUTINY

COM(2017) 253 final – deadline for scrutiny: 28.06.2017
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on work-life balance for parents and carers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU

EU Affairs Committee:

  • 07.06.2017, mtg. 134 - opinion no. 21 on the non-compliance with the subsidiarity principle,
  • 08.06.2017, mtg. 138 - the Committee draft resolution containing reasoned opinion,
  • 20.06.2017, mtg. 139 - the first reading of the Committee draft resolution containing reasoned opinion,

Sejm:

  • 22.06.2017, 44th sitting - adoption of the resolution on declaring the proposal to be incompatible with the subsidiarity principle (reasoned opinion),
  • 22.06.2017 - transmission of the resolution to the Presidents of the EP, Council and European Commission.

***

In June 2017 information on and documents of SUE meetings no. 134-135 and 137-141, 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
Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, Committee
  • 20.06.2017, continued consideration of the information presented by Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, Anna Moskwa, on EU water and environmental subsidies for owners of fish farms, taking into account worrying information on withdrawal of EU support for carp farmers (mtg no.77);

State Audit Committee

  • 09.06.2017, took note of the information presented by the member of the European Court of Auditors, Janusz Wojciechowski, on the annual activity report of the ECA for 2016 (mtg no.53);

Petitions Committee

  • 08.06.2017, considered the petition on the appointment of an extraordinary committee for the monitoring of Poland's national interest in the process of the UK leaving the European Union (BKSP-145-205/17) (mtg no.82);

Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry Committee

  • 08.06.2017, considered the information provided by Mariusz Gajda, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of the Environment, on the use of EU's funds for environmental protection (mtg no.76);

Maritime Economy and Inland Water Transport Committee

  • 07.06.2017, considered the information presented by the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation, Marek Gróbarczyk, on the strategy of fisheries development, with particular attention to the EC's drastic reduction of cod quotas (mtg no.59).
IMPLEMENTATION OF EU LAW - UST DATABASE

In June 2017

  • the following bill implementing EU law has been referred to the first reading [paper no.]:
    • Government bill amending the act on substances that deplete the ozone layer and some fluorinated greenhouse gases and some other acts [1647],
  • the following acts implementing EU law have been published [paper no.]:
    • Act of 25 May 2017 amending the act - Geological and Mining Law and some other acts [1480],
    • Act of 21 April 2017 on claims for damages due to violation of the competition rules [1370].
SUBSIDIARITY CHECK IN NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS

Subsidiarity scrutiny in June
(Information from IPEX database as of 06.07.2017)

Draft legislative act Deadline for subsidiarity
scrutiny
Adoption / transmission of reasoned opinion Chamber / parliament (country)
COM(2017) 142 19.06.2017  -  -
COM(2017)208 19.07.2017  - -
COM(2017) 253 28.06.2017 22.06.2017 /
22.06.2017
Senat (Poland)
22.06.2017 /
22.06.2017
Sejm (Poland)
 27.06.2017 /
27.06.2017
Senate
(The Netherlands)
- /
28.06.2017
 Chamber of Representatives
(The Netherlands)
 COM(2017) 256 27.07.2017 -  -
 COM(2017) 257  18.07.2017  -  -
ALL REASONED OPINIONS OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS IN IPEX

In June 2017, 5 draft legislative acts were subject to subsidiarity scrutiny. As of 6 July 2017, the national parliaments submitted 4 reasoned opinions on the non-compliance of the scrutinised draft acts with the subsidiarity principle.

INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION
22 June 2017, Brussels, Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the establishment of an EU mechanism on democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights
  • Opening remarks
  • First session: Towards a democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights pact at EU level - interinstitutional perspective and role of National Parliaments
  • Second session: The role of National Parliaments in upholding democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights
  • Closing session
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
New books in the Sejm Library Przegląd Sejmowy Kronika Sejmowa (EN)

NEW ON THE OIDE WEBSITE

In the section OIDE Notes:

Eastern Partnership

Following sections have been updated:

OIDE Notes: Brexit - documents, Brexit - procedural issues, European Public Prosecutor's Office

Bibliographies: BREXIT – selected publications (since 2016)

Debates of the Sejm on EU Affairs: Debates of the Sejm - 8th term

Resolutions of the Sejm on EU Affairs: Resolutions of the Sejm - 8th term

 

LATEST DEBATES - COMMENTS

Selected articles on the current political and economic issues in the EU from the specialist periodicals available on-line (accessed 05.07.2017)

EU CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES

Selected articles and papers
(available in the Sejm Library or on-line, accessed 05.07.2017)