Enforcing EU law

The European Parliament today adopted a report on the application of EU law. The report, by Green draftsperson Eva Lichtenberger, calls on the European Commission to step up its efforts to enforce EU legislation and to make the process more transparent. After the vote, Eva Lichtenberger said:

"There are persisting deficits in the implementation of EU legislation by member states, which are exacerbated by the lack of proper control and enforcement by the EU Commission. Environmental legislation remains one of the major problem areas, notably in some Mediterranean member states (for example the lack of application of EU waste laws in Italy), as is social legislation (for example the lack of controls to enforce EU rules on working time for lorry drivers). This year has also highlighted major deficiencies in the implementation of EU rules on civil liberties.

"The Commission must live up to its role as guardian of the treaties and properly enforce the application of EU legislation in recalcitrant member states. This means stepping up its use of the infringement procedure. However, it also needs to be more transparent in the way it works and more responsive to European citizens who look to the Commission to guarantee their rights as set out under EU law. To this end, the report recommends setting up a 'procedural code', which should clearly set out the various aspects of the infringement procedure, with a view to strengthening transparency."