Accountability Report 2013 Annual Report Tracking Ireland’s Engagement with the EU
European Movement Ireland www.europeanmovement.ie
Accountability Report 2013
Table of Contents
Chairperson’s Welcome ...... 3
Executive Director’s Foreword ...... 4
EM Ireland Values & Mission Statement ...... 5
List of Acronyms ...... 6
Accountability Report Indicators ...... 9
Methodology ...... 10
Executive Summary ...... 12
Introduction ...... 14
Chapter One – Pre-Legislative Input ...... 17 The Consultation Process ...... 18 Commission Consultations ...... 19 Irish Submissions 2013 ...... 20 Key Findings and Summary of Recommendations ...... 24 Chapter Two – European Parliament ...... 25 Introduction ...... 26 Methodology ...... 29 Political Groupings ...... 30 Roles within the Parliament ...... 34 The European Parliament ...... 35 Plenary Sessions ...... 35 Committees of the European Parliament ...... 36 Representation on Parliamentary Delegations ...... 42 Key Findings ...... 44 Chapter Three – European Council & Councils of the EU ...... 45 Attendance at Council ...... 51 Comparison with Ministerial Attendance Rates of Other EU Countries ...... 54 Key Findings ...... 58 Chapter Four – Oireachtas Engagement ...... 59 Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs ...... 60 Pre-Council Briefings ...... 64 Key Findings ...... 69 Acknowledgements ...... 70
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Chairperson’s Welcome
As Chairperson of European Movement Ireland, it gives me great pleasure to introduce European Movement Ireland's Accountability Report 2013. Founded in 1954, European Movement Ireland is an independent, not-for-profit, membership- based organisation working to develop the connection between Ireland and Europe. One of the organisation’s principle aims is to encourage and facilitate robust and informed debate on European matters in Ireland, and I am very confident that the publication of this Report serves to do just that.
This year’s Accountability Report is the fourth the organisation has published since the inaugural Accountability Report 2010, and it represents much more than just the publication of a new document. The Accountability Report has long been and continues to be the flagship campaign of EM Ireland's advocacy work and the cornerstone of the organisation’s efforts to provide an independent, non- governmental voice on European issues in Ireland. This year’s Report is an excellent example of the vital role that European Movement Ireland plays as an organisation committed to ensuring accountability, transparency and engagement at all levels of Ireland’s relationship with Europe.
As Chairperson of EM Ireland as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the organisation’s foundation in 1954, I am proud to present the work of European Movement Ireland as we continue to communicate the impact and development of Ireland’s EU membership. In light of this year’s European Parliament elections, I believe the publication of this Report is a timely analysis of our multifaceted political engagement with Europe.
The compilation of this 2013 Report would not be possible without the significant work and effort of the many people associated with this project. On behalf of the EM Ireland Board, I would like to pay special tribute to, and thank, all those whose input into this important project has enabled its launch and publication.
Maurice Pratt Chairperson
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Executive Director’s Foreword
The publication of European Movement Ireland’s Accountability Report 2013 represents the culmination of almost 18 months of work by the EM Ireland team and is the annual highlight of our on-going advocacy programme. Its publication is both timely and appropriate as 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of European Movement Ireland.
Our Accountability Report is a living, evolving document, which has grown and developed significantly since the publication of the first Accountability Report 2010. Now in its fourth edition, we remain committed to ensuring the highest standards of thorough and independent analysis as we review and evaluate Ireland’s relationship with the EU. Over the past four years, we have grown and improved the Report by incorporating feedback and comments received from readers, members and stakeholders, and continue to do so. Building on the previous three editions, in this year’s Report we have utilised our growing database of statistics to expand on the Report’s contents by providing a comparative analysis of Ireland’s performance in Europe over four years.
The findings of the Accountability Report 2013 continue to indicate real opportunities for enhanced engagement between Ireland and Europe at many levels. We in European Movement Ireland hope that its publication will contribute to developing and improving Ireland’s relationship with Europe and its Institutions.
This Report would not have been possible without the contribution and efforts of a significant number of people. I would like to thank the European Movement Ireland Board and Advisory Council and our many stagiaires for their knowledge and effort in contributing to the compilation of our fourth Accountability Report. Special tribute must also be paid to the European Movement Ireland team, in particular Neale Richmond and Ruth McCourt, for bringing the 2013 Report to fruition. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to readers of the Report who have provided us with important feedback and suggestions for ways in which we can enhance and develop the Report even further.
In keeping with our practice of previous years, this Report is also available to download from our website, www.europeanmovement.ie. As one of our flagship projects, European Movement Ireland is always looking for ways to improve and expand our Accountability Report. To that end, I would welcome any comments or feedback you may have on the findings and analysis contained in this year’s Report as we continue to work to promote accountability, transparency and engagement at all levels of Ireland’s relationship with the EU.
Noelle O Connell Executive Director
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EM Ireland Values & Mission Statement
Our Aims
1. Provide an independent, reasoned, non-governmental voice on European issues
2. Increase awareness and understanding of European issues among all sectors of Irish people
3. Disseminate factual information about Europe in language that is clear and understandable
4. Encourage Irish engagement at European level
5. Act as a conduit between Ireland and Europe, representing and articulating Irish opinions to our EU counterparts
Our Mission
To develop the connection between Ireland and Europe
Our Vision
For European issues to be discussed in Ireland in a reasoned, robust and fair manner
Our Values
Engagement We work to create proactive engagement on European issues through innovative, dynamic and creative participation
Responsibility We work to ensure we all take responsibility for the role we play in EU matters and for how we as a people, and as a country, actively engage with Europe
Accountability We work to increase accountability and transparency at both European and Irish levels
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List of Acronyms
Acronym Description CoR Committee of the Regions DG Directorate-General EESC European Economic and Social Committee EM Ireland European Movement Ireland MEP Member of the European Parliament NGO Non-governmental organisation OLP Ordinary Legislative Procedure SLP Special Legislative Procedure TD Teachta Dála, member of Dáil Éireann (Ireland’s national parliament)
European Commission Directorates-General Acronym Description AGRI Agriculture and Rural Development BUDG Budget CLIMA Climate Action CNECT Communications Networks, Content and Technology COMM Communication COMP Competition DEVCO EuropeAid Development and Cooperation DGT Translation DIGIT Informatics EAC Education and Culture ECFIN Economic and Financial Affairs ECHO Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection ELARG Enlargement EMPL Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion ENER Energy ENTR Enterprise and Industry ENV Environment ESTAT Eurostat FPI Service for Foreign Policy Instruments
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Acronym Description HOME Home Affairs HR Human Resources and Security JRC Joint Research Centre JUST Justice MARE Maritime Affairs and Fisheries MARKT Internal Market and Services MOVE Mobility and Transport REGIO Regional Policy RTD Research and Innovation SANCO Health and Consumers SCIC Interpretation SG Secretariat-General TAXUD Taxation and Customs Union TRADE Trade
European Parliament Political Groups Acronym Description ALDE Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe ECR European Conservatives and Reformists EFD Europe of Freedom and Democracy EPP European People’s Party Greens / EFA Group of the Greens / European Free Alliance GUE/NGL Confederal Group of the European United Left / Nordic Green Left NI Non-Inscrits (French), or Non-Attached Members S&D Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
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Council of the EU – Council Configurations Acronym Description AGRI Agriculture and Fisheries Council COMPET Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry, Research and Space) Council ECOFIN Economic and Financial Affairs Council ENVI Environment Council EPSCO Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council EYCS Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council FAC Foreign Affairs Council GAC General Affairs Council JHA Justice and Home Affairs Council TTE Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council
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Accountability Report Indicators
The table below lists the 18 indicators tracked throughout 2013 for the purposes of this Report.
Chapter Indicator 1. Pre-Legislative Input 1.1 Irish submissions to European Commission consultations in 2013
2.1 MEP roles within political groupings 2.2 MEP roles within Parliament 2.3 MEP attendance at plenary sessions 2.4 Number of Parliamentary Questions raised 2.5 Number of speeches made at plenary 2. European Parliament 2.6 Representation on parliamentary committees 2.7 MEP attendance at committee meetings 2.8 Positions on parliamentary committees 2.9 Reports drafted by Irish MEPs 2.10 Opinions drafted by Irish MEPs 2.11 Representation on parliamentary delegations
3.1 Irish ministerial attendance at European Council 3. European Council 3.2 Irish ministerial attendance at Councils of the EU and Councils of the EU 3.3 Comparison with ministerial attendance rates of other EU countries
4.1 Attendance at Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs
4. Oireachtas 4.2 Discussion at Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs
4.3 Pre-Council briefings in the Oireachtas
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Methodology
Outlined below is a description of the methodology applied by EM Ireland in tracking the key indicators used in each chapter of the Accountability Report 2013.
Chapter One – Pre-Legislative Input
For this chapter, European Movement Ireland tracked all 99 consultations initiated by the various Directorates-General of the European Commission which had a closing date for submission during the 2013 calendar year. EM Ireland analysed the geographical origins of consultation submissions, in order to establish the rate of Irish submissions. This tracking and analysis was undertaken in order to evaluate Irish input at the pre-legislative stage of EU policy formation.
Of the 99 Commission consultations with a closing date in 2013, 60 were suitable for evaluation and inclusion in this Report. This is due to the fact that only these 60 consultations provided information regarding the geographical origin of their submissions and thus could be analysed to establish the rate of Irish submission.
Chapter Two – European Parliament Engagement
MEPs at Parliament Complete attendance records for all MEPs are available from the website of the European Parliament. These records were used by EM Ireland to measure Irish MEP attendance rates at European Parliament plenary sessions. The individual websites of Irish MEPs and votewatch.eu were also consulted for information regarding MEP roles within their political groupings and within the Parliament, attendance at Parliament plenary sessions, Parliamentary Questions asked and speeches made.
MEPs at Committee Irish MEP representation on, attendance at and roles within European Parliament committee meetings were tracked by referring to the official minutes of each of these meetings, which are published on the website of the European Parliament.
The individual websites of Irish MEPs and votewatch.eu were also consulted for information regarding the various roles played by Irish MEPs in the drafting and amending of Parliamentary reports and opinions, and Irish MEP representation on parliamentary delegations.
Chapter Three – European Council & Councils of the European Union
Attendance by Irish representatives and by representatives of other EU Member States at 2013 meetings of the European Council and the various formations of the Council of the European Union was tracked using the official attendance lists of each of these Council meetings. These lists are made available as part of the Council press releases, which are published online following the conclusion of these meetings. This information was also released regularly through the Council of the European Union’s website1.
1 Council of the European Union website, www.consilium.europa.eu. European Movement Ireland 10
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Chapter Four – Oireachtas Engagement
Attendance at Oireachtas Committees Throughout 2013, European Movement Ireland attended meetings of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs. Attendance at these meetings was tracked by the EM Ireland staff member in attendance, who also drafted a summary report of the committee’s discussion. Official committee reports from the Committee on European Union Affairs, available from the Oireachtas website2, were also reviewed for this chapter.
Pre-Council Briefings According to the Programme for Government 20113, government ministers are obliged to appear before their respective committees or before the Committee on European Union Affairs prior to travelling to Brussels for meetings of the Council of the EU where decisions are made. For this Accountability Report 2013, European Movement Ireland examined the minutes of all Oireachtas committee meetings that took place in 2013 in order to establish whether and when pre-Council and post-Council briefings took place.
2 Oireachtas website, www.oireachtas.ie. 3 Programme for Government, 2011; Oireachtas Accountability, page 25. 11 European Movement Ireland
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Executive Summary
This is the fourth year of European Movement Ireland’s Accountability Report, the goal of which is to track Ireland’s engagement with Europe through a series of statistical indicators. These indicators range from measuring Irish input at the pre-legislative stage of EU policy formation to final decision-making at the Council of the European Union. In total, 18 indicators were tracked throughout the year in order to produce the findings included in this 2013 Report.
Below are gathered the key findings of the Accountability Report 2013. Further findings, analysis and comparison with the findings of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Reports can be found in Chapters One to Four.
A Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations
Chapter One – Pre-Legislative Input . In the 60 European Commission consultations with a 2013 closing date reviewed for this Report, the percentage of the total submissions that originated in Ireland ranges from 0% to 6.25%; with an average of 1.1%. This represents a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the 2012 average of 1.4%, as calculated by a similar analysis in the Accountability Report 2012.
. European Movement Ireland recommends that a consistent methodology be employed across all Commission Directorates-General (DGs) for the purposes of tracking and classifying consultation submissions. The ability to consistently track and analyse the legal identities and origins of all submissions across the consultations published by all DGs would have a significant impact on the accountability and transparency of the system. More accessible, thorough knowledge of the origins of submissions may also help increase the actual number of submissions by creating awareness among Member States regarding their national contribution levels.
. From an Irish perspective, there is a clear opportunity for individuals, businesses, civil society organisations, NGOs and public opinion to have a stronger input on this stage of the European legislative procedure. EM Ireland looks forward to playing a leading role in facilitating this enhanced engagement.
Chapter Two – European Parliament . Average Irish MEP attendance at plenary sessions of the European Parliament during 2013 was 93%. This is an increase of 10 percentage points on the 2012 attendance rate of 83%.
. Irish MEPs asked 384 Parliamentary Questions in 2013. This is a 15.6% drop from the 455 questions raised by Irish MEPs in 2012.
. During 2013, Irish MEPs made a total of 890 speeches in plenary sessions of the European Parliament. This is a significant increase of 143.8% compared to the 2012 figure of 365 speeches.
. In 2013, there was Irish representation on 14 of the European Parliament’s 20 standing committees and on the Parliament’s only special committee. Average Irish MEP attendance at the meetings of their designated committees in 2013 was 42%. This is down considerably from the 2012 figure of 76%.
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Chapter Three – European Council and Councils of the EU . The average Irish ministerial attendance rate at 2013 meetings of the Council of the European Union was 99%. This is an increase of two percentage points on 2012, when the Irish ministerial attendance rate was 97%, and is the highest Irish ministerial attendance rate since European Movement Ireland began tracking this engagement in our inaugural Accountability Report 2010.
. Ireland ranked joint first – alongside Greece and Lithuania – in terms of average ministerial attendance at meetings of the Council the EU in 2013.
. In 2013, nine out of 10 Council configurations had an Irish ministerial attendance rate of 100%.
. Taoiseach Enda Kenny attended all the meetings of the European Council which took place in 2013. This 100% attendance rate has been consistent since European Movement Ireland’s first Accountability Report 2010.
Chapter Four – Oireachtas Engagement . The Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs met a total of 33 times during 2013. The average attendance rate of Committee members in 2013 was 55%. This represents a decrease of nine percentage points from the 2012 attendance rate of 64%.
. Pre-Council briefings took place in relation to six out of the 10 General Affairs Council (GAC) meetings that took place in 2013. This represents a percentage total of 60%, a slight decrease on the 2012 rate of 64% but much higher than the 2011 rate of 27%.
. Of the 71 Council meetings that took place during 2013, 27 (38%) had pre-Council or post-Council briefings in front of the relevant Oireachtas Committee. This represents an increase of four percentage points compared to 2012.
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Introduction
The European Movement Ireland Accountability Report 2013 is based on an analysis of 18 key indicators throughout the 2013 calendar year. The 2013 Report, the fourth Accountability Report to be published by EM Ireland, builds on the work of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions. Over the past four years, we have extended and refined the systems we use to identify, track and store the relevant data.
EM Ireland developed our systems of data collection and analysis for the Accountability Report in consultation with our Advisory Council and a number of experts. We continue to consult with our Advisory Council on the development and expansion of the Report to ensure that the systems used are of a high standard. In 2010, a bespoke tracking spreadsheet was created and deemed most suitable for the purposes of recording the data for this Report. This system has remained in use since then, and has been refined and enhanced over the four years with a greater comparative element being introduced with time.
Data integrity is of central importance to the Accountability Report and a huge amount of time was dedicated in the course of this Report’s compilation to ensuring that mathematical systems were used to track the information; thereby decreasing any opportunity for subjectivity.
Before moving onto the results obtained from the 18 indicators tracked in 2013, provided overleaf is a brief overview of the Institutions involved in the law-making procedures of the European Union which feature in this Report and their respective roles. These tables will provide a useful point of reference for the information contained in this Report.
As this is the fourth Accountability Report that EM Ireland has published, it is now possible to offer a comparative analysis between the data recorded in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This will therefore be provided in each of the four chapters.
Finally, a methodology chapter is included at the beginning of this Report for those who require further information about EM Ireland’s tracking and research processes.
European Movement Ireland were pleased to be invited to present the findings of the Accountability Report 2012 to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs on 21 May 2013 and the organisation looks forward to having a similar opportunity with regard to the findings of this Report over the coming months.
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Institutions The table below provides an overview of the Institutions involved in the law-making procedures of the European Union which feature in this Accountability Report and highlights the processes operating within each system. The overview below is based on the composition of these Institutions in 2013, the period with which this Report deals.
Role in Decision-Making Institution Composition Institution Represents Process One Commissioner per EU Member State, nominated by Europe – the EU Drafts legislation, usually at European their governments. the request of the Council or 4 The Commissioners must act Commission For the first six months of 2013, the Parliament. Also consults in the interests of all EU there were 27 Commissioners; with interested stakeholders. Members States. Politically this increased to 28 with the Acts as ‘Guardian of the (Chapter One) independent. accession of Croatia to the EU Treaties’. on 1 July 2013.
For the first six months of 2013, there were 754 MEPs; this European increased to 766 with the The People 5 accession of Croatia on 1 July Parliament The European Parliament can 2013. In 2013, Ireland had 12 MEPs are elected once amend or reject legislation. MEPs. The number of MEPs every five years by citizens (Chapter Two) each Member State has is of the EU of voting age. determined according to population.
The People Discusses matters relevant to National Ireland’s relationship with the Parliament The Joint Committee of TDs are directly elected by EU. Monitors, reviews and (Oireachtas) European Union Affairs is made citizens of Ireland and scrutinises legislative up of TDs and Senators. Senators are indirectly measures that could have elected by various panels in (Chapter Three) significant implications for society. Ireland.
The Council of the EU is divided The Countries into 10 individual Council The various Council Council of the formations dealing with different areas. Each Council is formations are comprised of EU Approves or rejects composed of the relevant directly elected government legislation. minister from each EU country. ministers. The European (Chapter Four) The European Council6 is Council is comprised of the comprised of heads of state heads of state of each EU from each EU Member State. country.
4 European Commission website, www.ec.europa.eu. 5 European Parliament website, www.europarl.europa.eu. 6 European Council website, www.european-council.europa.eu. 15 European Movement Ireland
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Law-Making Procedures There are several law-making procedures used in the EU. Each one involves a different level of interaction between the various Institutions, depending on the law being proposed. The following table outlines the various law-making procedures currently employed in the EU.
Procedure When it is used This procedure is used in ‘nationally sensitive areas’ such as agriculture, fisheries and taxation. Based on a proposal from the Commission, the final decision lies with the Consultation relevant Council of Ministers, which consults with the Parliament and two other bodies, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR).
Ordinary Legislative Under OLP, the European Parliament and Council have to be in agreement in order for a Procedure (OLP) law to pass. The Commission sends its legislative proposal to both Institutions. Each Institution reads and discusses the proposal twice in succession. Since the entry into (formerly known as force of the Lisbon Treaty, this procedure applies to 40 new fields, 31 of which are Co-Decision) substantive policy fields, including the areas of agriculture, fisheries, transport, etc. The Consent procedure states that the Council has to obtain the European Parliament’s assent before they decide on a law. The Consent procedure is mostly used for Consent agreements with other countries, including agreements allowing new countries to join the EU. The European Parliament can accept or reject a proposal but cannot amend it. Acceptance requires an absolute majority of the votes cast. This is the adoption of legislative acts by the European Parliament with the participation Special Legislative of the Council, or by the Council with the participation of the Parliament, in specific cases Procedure (SLP) provided for in the Treaties.
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Chapter One
Pre-Legislative Input
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Before drafting new legislation, the European Commission often launches a consultation process with its citizens. This forms part of ‘Your Voice in Europe’7, a service which enables individuals and organisations to play an active role in the European policy-making process. Contributing to these consultations is the main way the Irish State, Irish organisations and Irish citizens can input their opinions on proposed legislation to the Commission at an early legislative stage.
The Consultation Process
The process is relatively simple. The relevant Directorate- General (DG) of the European Commission publishes a document outlining a proposed policy. Interested stakeholders, ranging from public authorities to organisations to individuals, are invited to answer a series of questions about the proposed policy, in order to input their views on its direction and content.
Contributions to consultations can be submitted by post or email within a set time period. Those who make a submission on or feed into a consultation are requested to identify themselves and state on whose behalf the submission is being made. It must be made clear whether the submission is confidential or non- confidential as DGs look to publish the responses in full online when the consultation has closed. Some DGs choose to publish the non-confidential submissions, while others carry out a detailed analysis of the responses and compile and publish statistics based on all submissions. The decision to publish the submissions and/or do any analysis is entirely at the discretion of each DG. Moreover, the time it takes to publish the responses to a consultation, in whatever form, also varies significantly from DG to DG.
As a result of the fact that no consistent methodology is adopted across the various DGs, the tracking and evaluation of consultations and their responses can be quite challenging. In light of the effort that went into the research conducted for this Accountability Report, European Movement Ireland feels that this is one area in which the European Commission could improve on openness, transparency and accountability by standardising the publication and analysis of submissions to Commission consultations across all DGs. This would in turn increase the connection between the EU, its Institutions and its citizens. An opportunity clearly exists in this area and EM Ireland once more calls for the Commission to consider the merits of the above suggestion.
It should be pointed out that the consultation process is not the only portal through which Irish views can be inputted to the European policy-making process. For example, either before the consultation process or before the drafting of a proposal, the Commission convenes meetings of ‘experts’ to discuss the issues concerned and obtain their views. These experts will frequently be drawn from government departments, agencies, and sometimes also from the private sectoral interests in question. The Commission will often also discuss issues directly with Member States, either bilaterally or in the context of meetings of Advisory Groups of senior officials from Member States. Views may also be communicated directly to the Commission by both state representatives and private companies or organisations through bilateral meetings, lobbying, etc.
7 Your Voice in Europe website, www.ec.europa.eu/yourvoice. European Movement Ireland 18
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Commission Consultations
In total, there were 99 consultations initiated by the European Commission Directorates-General which had a closing date for submissions during the 2013 calendar year. European Movement Ireland tracked all 99 of these consultations to identify how many submissions to Commission consultations were received which originated in Ireland.
During this review, it became clear that each Commission DG has its own system for accepting and analysing consultations, and thus there is a significant variance in the information available in the public domain. Only 60 of the 99 consultations conducted during the 2013 period were suitable for evaluation in this Report. This is due to the fact that only these 60 consultations provided information regarding the geographical origin of their submissions, allowing EM Ireland to accurately track the origin of submissions across the consultation.
This information regarding the country of origin of submissions is hugely valuable, as it offers an opportunity for both Member States and the EU to gain insight into who and which organisations or Member States are feeding into the European legislative procedure. In its ‘Communication on General Principles and Minimum Standards for Consultations’ in 20028, the Commission states that:
“Openness and accountability are thus important principles for the conduct of organisations when they are seeking to contribute to EU policy development. It must be apparent which interests they represent [and] how inclusive that representation is.” 9
The Commission does have a Register of Interested Representatives, where potential submission authors can provide their identifying information. When publishing consultation submissions, the Commission is required to distinguish between those contributors who are included in the Register and those who are not. The presence of this Register clearly aids transparency as it identifies the organisations (including private companies) involved in lobbying the Commission. However, the simple requirement of a declaration of every submission’s country of origin and source (i.e. whether it was submitted by an individual, private company, public authority, etc.) would be of great further benefit to the evaluation process. This requirement would also be relatively easy to implement. EM Ireland reiterates its recommendation that the European Commission consider this suggestion as a means to improve the transparency of the consultation process.
EM Ireland also feels that it would be preferable if each Commission DG were to provide a permanent email address for the consultations they manage, rather than (as is the case for the majority of the DGs) having one email contact point for each individual consultation. In 2013, the Directorate-General for Competition was the only Commission DG to use the same email address for all of its consultations. Temporary, consultation-specific email addresses are often shut down once the consultation period has expired, severing the link between a DG and those interested in its policy work. Introducing permanent consultation email addresses in all of the DGs would go a long way towards facilitating transparency and accountability and would make the consultation submission process far more user-friendly.
8 Communication from the Commission –Towards a reinforced culture of consultation and dialogue –General principles and minimum standards for consultations of interested parties by the Commission COM/2002/0704 final. 9 COM/2002/0704 final, page 7. 19 European Movement Ireland
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For the purposes of this Report, European Movement Ireland tracked the 60 Commission consultations in 2013 where it was possible to determine the Member State from which the submission had originated. As has already been outlined, it was not possible to track the origin of submissions to all consultations. Therefore, it is possible that submissions originating in Ireland were made to a number of other consultations which are not identified here.
Irish Submissions 2013
In the cases of the 60 consultations reviewed for this Report, the percentage of the total submissions that originated in Ireland ranges from 0% to 6.25%; with an average of 1.1%. This represents a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the 2012 average of 1.4%, as calculated by a similar analysis in the Accountability Report 2012.
Given that the Commission consultation process is the portal through which Irish citizens and organisations can input directly on policy creation at an EU level, it is important that increased engagement occurs in this area. From an Irish perspective, European Movement Ireland will continue to enable and support individual citizens, businesses, organisations in the NGO and civil society sector, etc. to increase their engagement at the pre-legislative stage during 2014 and beyond.
The 60 consultations listed in the table below have formed the basis of our review for 2013. A glossary of the DG abbreviations used below can be found on pages 6 and 7 of this Report.
Submission Total No. of No. of Irish % Irish Consultation Lead DG Closing Date Submissions Submissions Submissions Review of existing legislation on VAT TAXUD 04/01/2013 333 2 0.6% reduced rates The European Union e-Freight MOVE 31/01/2013 72 1 1.39% Initiative Delegated Act on post-authorisation efficacy studies for medicinal SANCO 18/02/2013 33 0 0% products An integrated parcel delivery market for the growth of e-commerce in the MARKT 22/02/2013 89 2 2.25% EU The implementation of European Reference Networks in the context SANCO 22/02/2013 138 0 0% of the cross-border Healthcare Directive Options for revision of the EU Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution ENV 04/03/2013 1934 2 0.1% and related policies The protection of business and MARKT 08/03/2013 386 1 0.26% research know-how Paper of the services of DG Competition containing draft COMP 11/03/2013 116 1 0.86% guidelines on regional State aid for 2014-2020 Enablers for European Multimodal Travel Planning and Information MOVE 12/03/2013 171 3 1.75% Services
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Submission Total No. of No. of Irish % Irish Consultation Lead DG Closing Date Submissions Submissions Submissions State aid instruments in the AGRI 20/03/2013 83 2 2.41% agricultural and forestry sector Unconventional fossil fuels (e.g. ENV 23/03/2013 22875 71 0.31% shale gas) in Europe Civil enforcement of intellectual property rights: the efficiency of MARKT 30/03/2013 282 2 0.71% proceedings and accessibility of measures The revision of Directive 97/68/EC on emissions from non-road mobile ENTR 08/04/2013 69 1 1.45% machinery engines Review of the European policy on AGRI 10/04/2013 44846 176 0.39% organic agriculture Cross-border transfers of registered MARKT 16/04/2013 86 0 0% offices of companies Review of the CAP schemes providing agricultural products to AGRI 22/04/2013 347 6 1.73% school children Green Paper on unfair trading practices in the business-to-business MARKT 30/04/2013 200 2 1% food and non-food supply chain in Europe Draft Regulation on small subsidies COMP 15/05/2013 124 1 0.81% (de minimis State aid Regulation) A European taxpayer’s code TAXUD 17/05/2013 110 1 0.91% Draft proposal for a revised block exemption for technology transfer COMP 17/05/2013 52 0 0% agreements and for revised guidelines Revision of the EU legal framework ENV 26/05/2013 121 5 4.13% on environmental inspections Combating female genital mutilation JUST 30/05/2013 66 1 1.52% in the EU Certification of airport screening ENTR 10/06/2013 37 0 0% equipment Independent Report from the High Level Group on Media Freedom and CNECT 14/06/2013 378 6 1.59% Pluralism The independence of audiovisual CNECT 14/06/2013 70 1 1.43% regulatory bodies A common approach to reducing the harm caused by criminal use of HOME 17/06/2013 85673 549 0.64% firearms in the EU Improving procedures for obtaining HOME 17/06/2013 1084 0 0% short-stay ‘Schengen’ visas State aid legal instruments in the MARE 17/06/2013 16 1 6.25% fisheries sector EU merger control – Draft revision of simplified procedure and merger COMP 19/06/2013 29 0 0% implementing regulation
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Submission Total No. of No. of Irish % Irish Consultation Lead DG Closing Date Submissions Submissions Submissions Recognition and modernisation of professional qualifications in inland MOVE 21/06/2013 94 0 0% navigation A possible EU initiative on responsible sourcing of minerals TRADE 26/06/2013 280 0 0% originating from conflict-affected and high-risk areas Green paper on the long-term MARKT 26/06/2013 292 1 0.34% financing of the European economy Assessing State aid for films and COMP 28/06/2013 86 3 3.49% other audiovisual works Draft General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) on State aid COMP 28/06/2013 184 2 1.09% measures Green Paper on a 2030 framework ENER 02/07/2013 556 0 0% for climate and energy policies Reforming the structure of the EU MARKT 11/07/2013 538 1 0.19% banking sector Green Paper on the Insurance of MARKT 15/07/2013 73 0 0% Natural and Man-made Disasters Consumer protection in third-pillar SANCO 19/07/2013 40 1 2.5% retirement products Possible revision of the Fishing MARE 19/07/2013 13 0 0% Authorisation Regulation (FAR) Review of the European System of MARKT 31/07/2013 94 1 1.06% Financial Supervision The new EU occupational safety and EMPL 26/08/2013 523 4 0.76% health policy framework Additional categories for a revised draft General Block Exemption COMP 10/09/2013 88 1 1.14% Regulation on State aid measures (‘GBER II’) Review of the European Waste ENV 10/09/2013 670 7 1.04% Management Targets Towards more effective EU merger COMP 12/09/2013 66 3 4.55% control Small-scale driftnet fisheries MARE 15/09/2013 40 1 2.5% Draft Union guidelines on State aid COMP 18/09/2013 29 0 0% to promote risk finance investments Preparing for a fully converged audiovisual world: growth, creation CNECT 30/09/2013 226 2 0.88% and value Proposal for revised safe harbour for minor agreements (“De Minimis” COMP 03/10/2013 12 0 0% Notice) The role of family farming, key challenges and priorities for the AGRI 11/10/2013 3414 50 1.46% future
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Submission Total No. of No. of Irish % Irish Consultation Lead DG Closing Date Submissions Submissions Submissions Insurance and compensation of damages caused by accidents of ENER 22/10/2013 147 3 2.04% nuclear power plants (nuclear liability) Revision of Annexes I and II of the Groundwater Directive ENV 22/10/2013 112 1 0.89% (2006/118/EC) The POSEI (Programme d'Options Spécifiques à l'Éloignement et AGRI 12/11/2013 575 0 0% l'Insularité) review A draft Block Exemption Regulation for the agriculture and forestry AGRI 19/11/2013 42 1 2.38% sector and for rural areas Guidelines on recommended standard licences, datasets and CNECT 22/11/2013 355 4 1.13% charging for the re-use of public sector information Evaluation of Energy Labelling Directive and certain aspects of the ENER 30/11/2013 335 1 0.3% Ecodesign Directive The EU Strategy for the Adriatic and REGIO 13/12/2013 97 0 0% Ionian Region The Green Action Plan for SMEs ENTR 13/12/2013 175 1 0.57% The establishment of a quantitative reduction headline target for marine ENV 18/12/2013 437 3 0.69% litter Draft guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring non- COMP 31/12/2013 44 2 4.55% financial undertakings in difficulty Crowdfunding in the EU – Exploring the added value of potential EU MARKT 31/12/2013 893 1 0.11% action
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Key Findings and Summary of Recommendations
. Irish submissions to 2013 European Commission consultations accounted for 1.1% of all submissions received. This is a decrease of 0.3 percentage points on the 2012 rate of 1.4%, as identified in European Movement Ireland’s Accountability Report 2012. However, it must be acknowledged that this analysis is based on only 60 of the 99 consultations which had a closing date in 2013, as these were the only consultations at the time of writing for which there was information available regarding the geographical origin of submissions.
. European Movement Ireland recommends that a consistent methodology be employed across all Commission DGs for the purposes of tracking and classifying consultation submissions. The ability to consistently track and analyse the legal identities and origins of all submissions across the consultations published by all DGs would have a significant impact on the accountability and transparency of the system. More accessible, thorough knowledge of the origins of submissions may also help increase the actual number of submissions by creating awareness among Member States regarding their national contribution levels.
. It is also recommended that each Commission DG creates one single email address or contact point for all of that DG’s consultations. This email address should remain live after the closing date for submissions has passed in order to facilitate the connection and cooperation between DGs and those interested in their consultations.
. From an Irish perspective, there is a clear opportunity for individuals, businesses, civil society organisations, NGOs and public opinion to have a stronger input on this stage of the European legislative procedure. EM Ireland looks forward to playing a leading role in facilitating this enhanced engagement.
Rate of Irish submissions to European Commission consultations, 2010-2013 1.80%
1.60%
1.40%
1.20%
1.00%
0.80%
0.60%
0.40%
0.20%
0.00% 2010 2011 2012 2013
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Chapter Two
European Parliament
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Introduction
The European Parliament is directly elected by the citizens of the European Union. Members of the European Parliament, known as MEPs, are elected once every five years by voters across the EU’s Member States. For the first six months of 2013, there were 754 MEPs; with the accession of Croatia to the EU on 1 July 2013, the number of MEPs increased to 766.
The following year, in May 2014 and on the occasion of the European Parliament elections, the total number of MEPs was reduced to 751. Under the proposal adopted by the European Parliament on 13 March 2013, Germany lost three seats and 12 countries, including Ireland, each lost one seat: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania.
In 2013, Ireland was represented by 12 MEPs, as demonstrated by the Image provided courtesy of the image to the right. The country was divided into four European Parliament European Parliament Information constituencies, with each constituency represented by three MEPs. The Office, Dublin four Irish constituencies and their MEPs for 2013 are outlined below.
Dublin The Dublin constituency represents the county of Dublin and had an electorate in the 2009 election of 812,465 people.
Emer Costello (Labour Party) Emer Costello is an Irish Labour Party politician. She has been an MEP since February 2012, when she replaced former MEP Proinsias De Rossa. Previously, Emer was a member of Dublin City Council from 2003 to 2012, and was Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2009 to 2010.
Gay Mitchell (Fine Gael) Gay Mitchell is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been an MEP for the Dublin constituency since 2004. Gay served as a TD for the Dublin South-Central constituency from 1981 to 2007. He was also the Fine Gael candidate in the 2011 Irish presidential election.
Paul Murphy (Socialist Party) Paul Murphy is Ireland’s only Irish Socialist Party MEP. He has been an MEP since March 2011, when he replaced Joe Higgins on his election to Dáil Éireann as a TD. Before becoming an MEP, Paul worked in the European Parliament as Joe Higgins' political advisor.
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East The East constituency represents the counties of Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Wexford and Wicklow and had an electorate in 2009 of 778,502 people.
Liam Aylward (Fianna Fáil) Liam Aylward is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He has been an MEP for the East constituency since 2004. Before becoming an MEP, Liam served as a TD from 1977 to 2007.
Nessa Childers (Labour Party until July 2013; Independent thereafter) Nessa Childers is an Independent Irish politician, who has been an MEP since 2009. Nessa was elected to the European Parliament as a member of Ireland’s Labour Party. However, she resigned from the Labour Party and became a Non-Attached Member of the Parliament in July 2013. Before becoming an MEP, Nessa served as a councillor in Dublin.
Mairead McGuinness (Fine Gael) Mairead McGuinness is an Irish Fine Gael politician. She has served as an MEP, representing the people of Ireland’s East constituency, since 2004. Before entering politics, Mairead was a journalist, broadcaster and commentator, and presented the Ear to the Ground series on RTÉ television.
North-West Ireland’s North-West constituency represents the counties of Cavan, Clare, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath, and in 2009 an electorate of 805,626.
Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher (Fianna Fáil) Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. First elected to the European Parliament in 1994 and subsequently re-elected in 1999, Pat resigned his seat in 2002 upon his election to Dáil Éireann. He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2009, having served as a junior minister in the Dáil.
Marian Harkin (Independent) Marian Harkin is an Independent Irish politician, who has served as an MEP since 2004. Before becoming an MEP, Marian was elected to Dáil Éireann as an Independent TD in the 2002 general election. She resigned her seat in the Dáil on the occasion of the 2007 general election.
Jim Higgins (Fine Gael) Jim Higgins is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and held his seat in the 2009 elections. Previously, Jim served in Seanad Éireann (from 1983 to 1987) and Dáil Éireann (1987 to 2002).
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South The South constituency encompasses the counties of Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford, with its three MEPs representing a 2009 electorate of 861,727 people.
Brian Crowley (Fianna Fáil) Brian Crowley is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and Ireland’s longest serving MEP. He was elected to represent the Munster constituency in the 1994 European Parliament elections and has retained his seat in the subsequent elections. He was also a member of Ireland's Council of State from 1997 to 2004.
Seán Kelly (Fine Gael) Seán Kelly is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has served as an MEP representing the South constituency since his election in 2009. A teacher by profession, Seán served as President of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) from 2003 to 2006.
Phil Prendergast (Labour Party) Phil Prendergast is an Irish Labour Party politician. She has been an MEP for Ireland’s South constituency since April 2011, when she replaced former MEP Alan Kelly on his election to Dáil Éireann. Previously, Phil was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011.
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Methodology
For the purposes of this Report, the fourth in European Movement Ireland’s annual Accountability Report series, Irish engagement with the European Parliament was determined by tracking the daily activities of Irish MEPs in the Parliament. These indicators include:
. Attendance at plenary sessions; . The number of Parliamentary Questions raised and speeches made at plenary; . Roles within the Parliament; . Parliamentary committee membership and attendance rates; . Reports and opinions drafted by Irish MEPs; . Representation on parliamentary delegations.
European Movement Ireland acknowledges that analysing the daily activities of Irish MEPs in the European Parliament does not allow for a thorough analysis of the level of engagement of these MEPs with the European parliamentary process. This Accountability Report only takes account of the work of MEPs which is on the record and publicly available and can be statistically tracked, verified and analysed. MEPs do a huge amount of work beyond this which is not quantifiable and therefore cannot be included in this analysis. This Report relies solely on data that is made available on the public record and we fully acknowledge that this represents only a small element of the work carried out by MEPs on behalf of the Irish people.
MEPs at Parliament
Complete attendance records for all MEPS are available from the website of the European Parliament. These records were used by EM Ireland to measure Irish MEP attendance rates at European Parliament plenary sessions. The individual websites of Irish MEPs and votewatch.eu were also consulted for information regarding MEP roles within their political groupings and within the Parliament, attendance at Parliament plenary sessions, Parliamentary Questions asked and speeches made.
MEPs at Committee Irish MEP representation on, attendance at and roles within European Parliament committee meetings were tracked by referring to the official minutes of each of these meetings, which are published on the website of the European Parliament.
The individual websites of Irish MEPs and votewatch.eu were also consulted for information regarding the various roles played by Irish MEPs in the drafting and amending of Parliamentary reports and opinions.
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Political Groupings
Within the Parliament, MEPs sit in cross-national political groupings rather than with their national political parties. These groupings are arranged according to political allegiance. In order for a political group to be recognised, it needs to comprise a minimum of 25 MEPs from at least seven different EU countries. Once the group is recognised, it can then avail of financial assistance from the Parliament. It is also then guaranteed a number of committee seats, as well as certain positions within these committees. The political groupings, and the Irish MEPs within these groupings for 2013, are outlined in the table below.
No. of No. of Irish Role in Political Irish Political Political Group Irish Members Members Members Group Party Jim Higgins - Fine Gael 274 Seán Kelly - Fine Gael Group of the (including 5 Mairead European People’s Croatian 4 - Fine Gael Party (EPP) MEPs from 1 McGuinness July 2013) Head of National Gay Mitchell Fine Gael Delegation
Group of the 3 until 16 Nessa Childers Progressive 195 September (until 16 - Labour Party Alliance of (including 5 2013 September 2013) Socialists and Croatian Head of National Emer Costello Labour Party Democrats in the MEPs from 1 2 from 17 Delegation European July 2013) September Parliament (S&D) 2013 Phil Prendergast - Labour Party Liam Aylward - Fianna Fáil Brian Crowley - Fianna Fáil Group of the Alliance of Liberals Pat ‘the Cope’ Head of National 83 4 Fianna Fáil and Democrats for Gallagher Delegation Europe (ALDE) Head of National Marian Harkin Independent Delegation
Confederal Group 35 (including of the European 1 Croatian United Left / 1 Paul Murphy - Socialist Party MEP from 1 Nordic Green Left July 2013) (GUE/NGL)
Group of the Greens / European 58 0 - - - Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) Group of the 57 (including European 1 Croatian 0 - - - Conservatives and MEP from 1 Reformists (ECR) July 2013)
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No. of No. of Irish Role in Political Irish Political Political Group Irish Members Members Members Group Party Europe of Freedom and Democracy 31 0 - - - Group (EFD) 0 until 16 September 2013 Nessa Childers Non-Attached 33 (from 17 - Independent Members (NI) 1 from 17 September 2013) September 2013
European People’s Party (EPP) The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party founded in 1976 by Christian democratic parties, though later it increased its membership to include conservative parties and parties of other centre-right political perspectives. The EPP has been the largest political group in the European Parliament since 1999. Its influence also extends to the European Council and the European Commission. In 2013, 14 of the 28 heads of state and government and 13 Commissioners came from EPP parties. European Commission President, José Manuel Barroso, and President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, both come from EPP parties also.
The EPP includes parties such as the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the French Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and the Spanish People's Party (PP). In an Irish context, Fine Gael has been a member since 1976.
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES), a social-democratic European political party. Until the 1999 European Parliament elections, the S&D was the largest group in the Parliament. Following the 2009 elections, the S&D was the second- largest group in the European Parliament. In 2013, seven of the 28 Commissioners and 10 of the 28 EU heads of state belonged to PES.
National parties in the PES include the Italian Democratic Party (PD), the French Socialist Party (PS) and the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). The PES has member parties in almost all EU states. Ireland’s Labour Party is a member of this group.
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Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and the European Democratic Party. ALDE is one of the three oldest groups and achieved its first President of the European Parliament on 15 January 2002, when Irishman Pat Cox was elected to the post. In 2013, eight members of the European Commission belonged to ALDE aligned parties, while two EU heads of state also came from ALDE parties.
Fianna Fáil joined ALDE in 2009. Irish Independent MEP, Marian Harkin, has also been in the ALDE group since she was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999.
European United Left–Nordic Green Left Established in 1995, the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) is a left-wing political group in the European Parliament. The group comprises political parties of mostly socialist and communist orientation.
According to its constituent declaration, the group is opposed to the present European political structure, but committed to integration. Both the Socialist Party and Sinn Féin are members of the GUE/NGL group.
Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) The Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) is a political group in the European Parliament containing green and regionalist political parties. The group was formed following the 1999 European Parliament elections.
The Greens/EFA group consists of two distinct European political parties – the European Green Party (EGP), comprising Green parties from around Europe, and the European Free Alliance (EFA), which consists of parties representing stateless nations, regionalist and minority political interests. The largest national parties in the group are France’s Europe Ecology – The Greens with 15 seats and Germany's Alliance '90/The Greens with 14.
European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Founded after the 2009 European Parliament elections, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group is the parliamentary group of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists Europarty.
The ECR’s MEPs represent 18 parties from 14 different EU countries, mostly in central and Eastern Europe. The majority of ECR MEPs come from the United Kingdom, Poland and Germany. It also has significant representation from Benelux and the Nordic countries. The largest parties in the group are the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom and Law and Justice of Poland.
Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) is a right-wing Eurosceptic political group in the European Parliament. Formed after the 2009 European Parliament elections, the EFD was a coalition of 10 political parties – the largest being the UK Independence Party (UKIP) with eleven seats and the Italian Lega Nord with nine seats – along with one Independent.
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Non-Attached Members (NI) Non-Attached MEPs do not sit in a recognised political group. Political ideologies displayed by the Non- Attached MEPs range from social liberalism to populism, conservatism, national conservatism and nationalism. Since the 2009 European Parliament elections, however, Non-Attached MEPs have mostly been members of far-right parties.
In July 2013, Irish MEP Nessa Childers resigned from the S&D and became a Non-Attached Member of the Parliament.
Roles within the Groupings Within each of the above political groupings, an MEP can hold a number of roles; Chairman, Vice- Chairman or Coordinator.
Each political group appoints a Chairman to decide which way the group should vote in Parliament. The Chairmen of all the different political groupings meet at the ‘Conference of Presidents’ to decide which issues should be dealt with during the plenary sessions of the Parliament. The Vice-Chairman acts as a substitute for the Chairman. Coordinators, meanwhile, act as a liaison between their political group and the committee of which they are a member.
In 2013, no Irish MEP served as a Chairman or Vice-Chairman of a political grouping. Irish Coordinators are tracked in the table entitled Roles held by Irish MEPs within European Parliament committees during 2013 on pages 40 and 41 of this Report.
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Roles within the Parliament
There are a number of different roles that MEPs can play within the European Parliament, as outlined in the table below.
Role Function The President of the European Parliament directs the activities of the Parliament and acts President as the Parliament’s external representative. Only one Irish person has held the position of President of the European Parliament; Pat Cox served in this role from 2002 to 2004. Vice-President European Parliament Vice-Presidents chair plenary debates when the President is not (14 in total) present in the Chamber. The College of Quaestors is responsible for administrative and financial matters directly Quaestor concerning MEPs and their working conditions. Each Quaestor in the College of Quaestors (5 in total) is assigned a specific area of responsibility. Irish MEP Jim Higgins was re-elected as a Quaestor for a 2.5 year term on 18 January 2012.
The President of the European Parliament, the 14 Vice-Presidents and the five Quaestors (with observer status only) make up the Bureau, the body responsible for the running of the Parliament. The Bureau is elected by MEPs for a renewable period of 2.5 years and guides the European Parliament’s internal functioning, including budget estimates, administrative and financial organisation, the secretariat and its sub-departments.
The roles within the European Parliament held by Irish MEPs in 2013 are outlined in the table below.
Role
Mairead
Gallagher
SeánKelly
JimHiggins
McGuinness
Gay Mitchell Gay
Paul Murphy Paul
Liam Aylward Liam
EmerCostello
BrianCrowley
Pat Pat ‘theCope’
MarianHarkin
NessaChilders Phil Prendergast Phil
President Vice-President Quaestor ●
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The European Parliament
Plenary sessions of the European Parliament occur twelve times a year in Strasbourg and last four days. There are also a number of mini-plenary sessions every year, which take place in Brussels. Plenary sessions, during which votes are taken, mark the high point of the Parliament’s political activity. In order to determine the level of daily activity of Irish MEPs in the Parliament, a number of indicators, including plenary attendance, Parliamentary Questions raised and speeches made, were tracked during 2013.
In addition to Parliament plenary sessions, MEPs meet two weeks a month for meetings of parliamentary committees and interparliamentary delegations, and one week a month for political group meetings. Four weeks of each year are also allocated for MEPs to focus exclusively on constituency work.
Plenary Sessions
Irish MEP Attendance Average Irish MEP attendance at European Parliament plenary sessions stands at 93% for 2013; this is an increase of 10 percentage points compared to the 2012 figure of 83% and the highest Irish MEP attendance rate identified since European Movement Ireland began tracking MEP attendance in our first Accountability Report 2010.
This high Irish attendance rate is particularly impressive in light of the pressure on MEPs to serve their home constituencies and the travel involved in this aspect of their work. Ireland’s MEPs are elected by Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV), which differs greatly from the proportional representation ‘list’ system used by almost all the other EU countries (Malta is the only other country which doesn’t use the ‘list’ system to elect its MEP, using PR-STV also). The ‘list’ system places far less importance on the MEP as an individual, since under the system parties make lists of candidates to be elected, and seats get allocated to each party in proportion to the number of votes the party receives. This means that MEPs elected under the ‘list’ system are under less pressure to spend time in their home constituencies. Indeed, a number of MEPs elected in countries using the ‘list’ system are known to only visit their home constituencies during the four dedicated constituency weeks and are based in Brussels or Strasbourg for the rest of the year.
Number of Parliamentary Questions Raised by Irish MEPs Overall, Irish MEPs raised 384 Parliamentary Questions throughout 2013; this is a 15.6% drop from the 455 questions raised by Irish MEPs in 2012.
In comparison, members of Dáil Éireann submitted 56,911 Parliamentary Questions in 2013. This is an average of 342 questions per TD, as compared to the Irish MEPs’ average of 32 written questions per person. However, it must be acknowledged that the European Commission’s response time to Parliamentary Questions can be up to six weeks, in comparison to the one-week wait time at a national level. Some MEPs are dissuaded from submitting Parliamentary Questions by this lengthy wait time and view the system as ineffective.
Number of Speeches Made by Irish MEPs During 2013, Irish MEPs made a total of 890 speeches; this is a significant increase of 143.8% compared to the 2012 figure of 365 speeches.
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Committees of the European Parliament
In 2013, the European Parliament had 20 standing committees, as well as one sub-committee and one special committee. These committees are responsible for preparing work for the Parliament’s plenary sessions. They draw up, amend or propose to adopt legislative proposals and reports to be presented at the plenary sessions. Committee meetings take place generally once or twice a month in Brussels and occur in public.
Irish Representation on Parliamentary Committees MEPs can request positions on the parliamentary committees of their choice but the selection process is often far from straightforward and can be politically charged. Seniority and experience play a part in the process of committee member selection, which ultimately rests with the political groups.
Committees in the European Parliament are seen by many as the engine room of the legislative process, where much substantive debate takes place. The European Parliament’s committees are therefore given far greater emphasis than parliamentary committees are given in many EU countries.
There are 20 specialised standing committees in the European Parliament, each consisting of between 24 and 76 full members and an equivalent number of substitutes. Each committee elects a chair and four vice-chairs amongst its full members for a two and a half year mandate. The European Parliament can also set up sub-committees and special committees to deal with specific issues. There are currently two sub-committees (the Sub-Committee on Human Rights and the Sub-Committee on Security and Defence) and one special committee (the Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering) in operation.
There is Irish representation on 14 of the 20 standing committees and on the one special committee which began its work in March 2012. Each of the Irish MEPs is a member or substitute member of at least two committees. The Agriculture and Rural Development Committee has the highest level of Irish MEP representation.
(Please see the table overleaf for a full breakdown of Irish representation on committees of the European Parliament)
Attendance at Parliamentary Committees Committees have both full and substitute members. A substitute member of a committee is permitted to vote if a full member is not present. They can also take up the role of coordinator and draft opinions. Average Irish MEP attendance at the meetings of their designated committees in 2013 stands at 42%. This is down considerably from the 2012 figure of 76%.
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Irish Representation on Parliamentary Committees M = Member S = Substitute Member
Committee Title
Mairead
Gallagher
SeánKelly
JimHiggins
McGuinness
Gay Mitchell Gay
Paul Murphy Paul
Liam Aylward Liam
EmerCostello
BrianCrowley
Pat Pat ‘theCope’
MarianHarkin
NessaChilders Phil Prendergast Phil
Agriculture and Rural M S M S Development Culture and Education S S S Development S M Economic and Monetary S Affairs Employment and Social Affairs S M M S Environment, Public Health M S and Food Safety Fisheries M S Industry, Research and Energy M S Internal Market and Consumer M Protection International Trade M Legal Affairs S Petitions S S S S Regional Development S M Transport and Tourism M Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption S M and Money Laundering
In 2013, the following European Parliament committees had no Irish members or substitute members:
. Budgetary Control . Budgets . Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs . Constitutional Affairs . Foreign Affairs . Women’s Rights and Gender Equality . Sub-Committee on Human Rights . Sub-Committee on Security and Defence
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Positions on Parliamentary Committees Within each committee, there are a number of different positions. These positions give an MEP added influence, particularly if appointed as a Rapporteur. A full breakdown of the positions Irish MEPs held on parliamentary committees in 2013 can be found in the table on pages 40 and 41.
Position Function
The Chairman is responsible for coordinating the work of the specific committee with the Chairman Conference of Committee Chairs. Serves for 2.5 years. Vice-Chairman The Vice-Chairman chairs the debate in the absence of the Chairman. Serves for 2.5 years. (4 in total) A Rapporteur is responsible for drafting a report or an opinion at committee level. The Rapporteur presents the findings of the committee to the plenary and must follow the progress of the report through the legislative process. As the Rapporteur is the person that drafts reports at the committee level, this ultimately allows him/her to have an influence on the content of the report. These reports contain proposals for resolutions or legislative Rapporteur amendments to be voted on by the entire Parliament.
The Rapporteur's key tasks are to analyse the project; to consult with specialists in the particular field and with those who could be affected by the project/legislation; to discuss the project with other members within the committee; and to recommend the political “line” to be followed. The Shadow Rapporteur assists the Rapporteur and monitors the progress of a report or an Shadow opinion on the behalf of his/her political group. The number of Shadow Rapporteurs can Rapporteur vary depending on the issue. Each political grouping is represented on each committee by a Coordinator. These Coordinator Coordinators are responsible for organising the work of their political group within the parliamentary committee.
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Reports Parliamentary committees draft reports on both legislative and non-legislative issues. A committee may be asked to draft a report on a particular issue that falls under a policy area for which it is competent. On some occasions the committee may draft a report on its own initiative. The Rapporteur is assigned the responsibility of drafting the report. Once a report is drafted, it is then presented to the committee, subject to amendments and a committee vote. It then becomes a report and is presented in the plenary session.
In 2013, six reports were drawn up by Irish Rapporteurs. This represents a 200% increase in comparison to the two reports that were drawn up by Irish Rapporteurs in 2012. It should be noted at this point that compiling a report is a lengthy process. This, in addition to the fact that some reports are time-sensitive, explains the year-on-year fluctuation in this statistic.
In addition to drawing up reports, MEPs are often appointed to act as a Shadow Rapporteur for their group, to cover a report being drawn up by another MEP from a different group. In 2013 Irish MEPs acted as a Shadow Rapporteur on 24 occasions.
These reports and shadow reports represent another important facet of Irish involvement on the part of our MEPs in the European Parliament decision-making process.
Opinions Committees can draft opinions in order to express their views on a particular topic which comes under the remit of another committee. A Rapporteur is appointed to draw up a draft opinion. This opinion is then presented to the committee, giving members the opportunity to vote on it and make changes. The opinion is then submitted to the committee responsible for producing the report. This committee does not have to incorporate the amendments made in the opinion but it is required to vote on the proposed changes. All adopted opinions are annexed to the report of the responsible committee. In 2013, three opinions were drafted up by an Irish Rapporteur, one less than in 2012.
In addition to drawing up opinions, MEPs are often appointed to write a shadow opinion for their political group, to cover an opinion being drawn up by another MEP from a different group. In 2013, Irish MEPs wrote shadow opinions on 16 occasions.
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Roles held by Irish MEPs within European Parliament committees during 2013
Coordinator Vice- MEP Chair / Deputy Rapporteur (Reports) Rapporteur (Opinions) Chair Coordinator
Liam Aylward
Nessa Childers
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Emer Costello Parliament and of the Council on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived
Brian Crowley
Pat ‘the Cope’ ● Gallagher
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Marian Harkin ● Parliament and of the Council on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014-2020)
REPORT on a strategy for an electronic toll service and a Jim Higgins vignette system on light private vehicles in Europe OPINION on Blue Growth – Enhancing sustainable growth in the EU’s marine, maritime transport and tourism sectors
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Seán Kelly Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation)
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Coordinator Vice- MEP Chair / Deputy Rapporteur (Reports) Rapporteur (Opinions) Chair Coordinator
Mairead
McGuinness REPORT with recommendations to the Commission on EU donor coordination on development aid OPINION on follow-up on the delegation of legislative
Gay Mitchell ● powers and the control by Member States of the REPORT on the EU approach to resilience and disaster risk Commission’s exercise of implementing powers reduction in developing countries: learning from food security crises REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Paul Murphy Parliament and of the Council on imports of rice originating in Bangladesh
Phil Prendergast
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Representation on Parliamentary Delegations
MEPs may also become members of parliamentary delegations. These delegations aim to exchange information regarding the Parliament’s international relationships, especially relations with the Parliaments of non-EU countries. There are currently 41 European Parliament delegations. The number of members in each delegation ranges from 12 to over 70.
In 2013, Irish MEPs were represented on 15 out of 41 delegations. Two of these 15 delegations were chaired by Irish MEPs. Emer Costello chaired the Delegation for Relations with the Palestinian Legislative Council, while Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher acted as the Chair of the Delegation for Relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA).
Irish Representation on European Parliamentary Delegations M = Member S = Substitute Member C = Delegation Chair
Delegation Harkin
Mairead
Gallagher
SeánKelly
JimHiggins
McGuinness
Gay Mitchell Gay
Paul Murphy Paul
Liam Aylward Liam
EmerCostello
BrianCrowley
Pat Pat ‘theCope’
Marian
NessaChilders Phil Prendergast Phil
Africa Caribbean Pacific (ACP) - EU Joint Parliamentary S M Assembly Delegation to the EU- Kazakhstan, EU-Kyrgyzstan and EU-Uzbekistan Parliamentary Cooperation S Committees, and for relations with Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of S the Union for the Mediterranean Euro-Latin American M Parliamentary Assembly Relations with Australia and S M New Zealand Relations with Canada S Relations with Japan M S Relations with South Africa M Relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU- C S Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European
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Delegation Harkin
Mairead
Gallagher
SeánKelly
JimHiggins
McGuinness
Gay Mitchell Gay
Paul Murphy Paul
Liam Aylward Liam
EmerCostello
BrianCrowley
Pat Pat ‘theCope’
Marian
NessaChilders Phil Prendergast Phil Economic Area Joint Parliamentary Committee Relations with the countries M of South Asia Relations with the Mercosur M countries Relations with the Palestinian C Legislative Council Relations with the Pan- M African Parliament Relations with the People’s S S Republic of China Relations with the United M M M M States
In addition to sitting on parliamentary committees and delegations, most Irish MEPs are also members of a range of ‘intergroups’ dealing with specialised interest areas such as disability, media or trade unions. Intergroups are not Parliament bodies and may not express the opinions of the Parliament.
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Key Findings
. Overall, Irish MEP attendance at plenary sessions of the Parliament during 2013 stood at 93%.
. Irish MEPs asked 384 Parliamentary Questions in 2013.
. Irish MEPs made a total of 890 speeches in 2013.
. Average Irish MEP attendance at committee meetings in 2013 was 42%.
. In 2013, there was Irish MEP representation on 14 of the 20 standing committees and the Parliament’s one special committee.
. During 2013, six reports were drawn up by an Irish MEP acting as Rapporteur.
. In 2013, three opinions were drafted by an Irish Rapporteur.
. Irish MEPs were represented on 15 out of 41 Parliamentary delegations in 2013.
The table below outlines the key European Parliament findings of the Accountability Report over the course of its four years of existence since its first edition in 2010.
Indicator 2010 2011 2012 2013
Attendance at plenary sessions 86% 85% 83% 93% Number of Parliamentary Questions asked New indicator in 2012 455 384 New Number of speeches made indicator in 727 365 890 2011 Attendance at parliamentary committees New indicator in 2012 76% 42% Number of parliamentary committees with 16 16 15 15 Irish representation Number of reports by Irish Rapporteurs 1 6 2 6 Number of opinions by Irish Rapporteurs 9 2 4 3 Number of parliamentary delegations with 13 15 15 15 Irish representation
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Chapter Three
European Council & Councils of the EU
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Council of the EU Since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1 December 2009, 10 different formations of the Council of the EU can now be convened to approve draft law. These Councils are made up of the ministers from each EU country whose portfolios correspond to that Council’s area of work, e.g. in 2013 Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, attended meetings of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRI), while Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, attended the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO). National ministers are invited to attend meetings of the various Councils throughout the year where laws are either passed or rejected. The configurations of these Councils and the attending ministers for the 2013 period are outlined in the table starting overleaf.
The European Council The European Council works alongside the various configurations of the Council of the EU. The European Council is composed of EU heads of state and national leaders; President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy; President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso; and the EU’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton. The European Council is responsible for defining the “general political directions and priorities”10 of the EU, and for deciding on key pieces of law. During 2013 the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, participated at these meetings with his fellow European leaders.
The Lisbon Treaty introduced a series of reforms to the European Council, giving it the formal Institutional status which it previously did not have, as well as creating a new role of President of the European Council. Herman Van Rompuy, the current President of the European Council, prepares the work of the European Council, chairs its meetings, and reports on the European Council’s work to the European Parliament. This position serves to further the coherency of the EU by helping to seek consensus among the Member States.
Eurogroup The Eurogroup brings together the finance ministers of those countries whose currency is the euro; the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro, Olli Rehn; and the President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi. The Eurogroup generally meets once a month, the day before a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN). This arrangement is not considered to be an actual configuration of the Council, as these meetings take place in a technically informal manner. In fact, Eurogroup meetings, although they occur separately the day before an ECOFIN meeting, are considered to be a segment of the ECOFIN meeting that succeeds them.
10 Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union. European Movement Ireland 46
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Formations of the Councils of the EU in 2013
Council Area of Responsibility Lead Irish Minister 2013 Junior Minister(s) 2013 Configuration Tom Hayes TD, Minister of State at the Agriculture and Simon Coveney TD, Department of Agriculture, All EU agriculture and related Fisheries Council Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food with special matters. (AGRI) Food and the Marine responsibility for Horticulture, Forestry, the Greyhound Industry and Food Safety
Ciarán Cannon TD, Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills with special responsibility for Training and Skills
Richard Bruton TD, Encouraging a more coherent John Perry TD, Minister for Jobs, Competitiveness and better co-ordinated Minister of State at the Enterprise and (Internal Market, handling of matters relating Department of Jobs, Enterprise Innovation Industry, Research to the EU's competitiveness. and Innovation with special
and Space) Council The items on the agenda responsibility for Small Business Ruairí Quinn TD, (COMPET) dictate which lead minister is Minister for Education invited to these meetings. Seán Sherlock TD, and Skills Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation with special responsibility for Research and Innovation
Brian Hayes TD, Minister of State at the Economic and All of the EU’s economic and Michael Noonan TD, Department of Finance with Financial Affairs monetary policy areas. Minister for Finance special responsibility for Public Council (ECOFIN) Service Reform and the Office of Public Works
The development of quality Michael Ring TD, education; the Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister of State at the implementation of a Minister for Children and Department of Transport, vocational training policy and Youth Affairs Tourism and Sport with special the flowering of Member responsibility for Tourism and Education, Youth, States' cultures; bringing Ruairí Quinn TD, Sport Culture and Sport common cultural heritage to Minister for Education
Council (EYCS) the fore while respecting and Skills Alex White TD, national and regional cultural Minister of State at the diversity. Which lead minister Leo Varadkar TD, Department of Health and is invited to attend these Minister for Transport, Children with special meetings depends on the Tourism and Sport responsibility for Primary Care items on the agenda.
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Council Area of Responsibility Lead Irish Minister 2013 Junior Minister(s) 2013 Configuration Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Ciarán Cannon TD, Enterprise and Minister of State at the Innovation Department of Education and
Skills with special responsibility Joan Burton TD, for Training and Skills Minister for Social
Protection Issues that raise the standard Dinny McGinley TD,
of living and quality of life of Minister of State at the Jimmy Deenihan TD, European citizens, notably Department of Arts, Heritage Minister for Arts, through high-quality jobs and and the Gaeltacht with special Heritage and the high levels of social responsibility for Gaeltacht Employment, Gaeltacht protection, health protection Affairs Social Policy, and protection of consumers' Health and Frances Fitzgerald TD, interests, while at the same Seán Sherlock TD, Consumer Affairs Minister for Children and time guaranteeing equal Minister of State at the Council (EPSCO) Youth Affairs opportunities. Which lead Department of Education and
minister is invited to attend Skills and the Department of Ruairí Quinn TD, these meetings depends on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister for Education the particular subject being with special responsibility for and Skills discussed. Research and Innovation
James Reilly TD, Alex White TD, Minister for Health Minister of State at the
Department of Health and Alan Shatter TD, Children with special Minister for Justice and responsibility for Primary Care Equality and Minister for Defence Fergus O’Dowd TD, Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Preserving the quality of the Department of the environment, human health, Environment, Community and the prudent and rational Phil Hogan TD, Local Government with special utilisation of natural Minister for Environment responsibility for the NewEra resources and promoting Environment, Council (ENVI) Project measures at international Community and Local
level to deal with regional or Government Jan O’Sullivan TD, worldwide environmental Minister of State at the problems. Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with special responsibility for Housing and Planning
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Council Area of Responsibility Lead Irish Minister 2013 Junior Minister(s) 2013 Configuration Joe Costello TD, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for Trade and Development
Lucinda Creighton TD, Minister of State at the The whole of the EU's Department of the Taoiseach external action including Eamon Gilmore TD, Foreign Affairs and Department of Foreign common foreign and security Tánaiste and Minister for Council (FAC) Affairs and Trade with special policy, foreign trade and Foreign Affairs and Trade responsibility for European development cooperation. Affairs (until July 2013)
Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for European Affairs (from July 2013) Joe Costello TD, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for Trade and Development
Lucinda Creighton TD, Coordinating the work of the Minister of State at the European Council, preparing Department of the Taoiseach Eamon Gilmore TD, General Affairs for European Council and Department of Foreign Tánaiste and Minister for Council (GAC) meetings and dealing with Affairs and Trade with special Foreign Affairs and Trade issues that cannot be responsibility for European confined to one Council. Affairs (until July 2013)
Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for European Affairs (from July 2013)
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Council Area of Responsibility Lead Irish Minister 2013 Junior Minister(s) 2013 Configuration The field of justice and home affairs which directly affects the lives of European citizens.
Ireland, along with Denmark Kathleen Lynch TD, and the UK, does not Minister of State at the participate fully in the Alan Shatter TD, Justice and Home Department of Health and implementation of certain Minister for Justice and Affairs Council Department of Justice and measures in this policy area, Equality and Minister for (JHA) Equality with special and this participation is Defence responsibility for Disability, subject to conditions due to Equality and Mental Health Ireland’s decision to opt out of certain Schengen Agreement provisions. As a result, the Irish minister does not take part in votes on these issues. Fergus O’Dowd TD, Minister of State at the Works towards fulfilling EU Department of objectives in the areas of Communications, Energy and transport, Natural Resources and the Pat Rabbitte TD, telecommunications and Department of the Minister for energy to establish modern, Environment, Community and Transport, Tele- Communications, Energy competitive and efficient Local Government with special communications and Natural Resources markets and infrastructure, responsibility for the NewEra and Energy Council and to create trans-European Project (TTE) Leo Varadkar TD, transport, communications Minister for Transport, and energy networks. The Michael Ring TD, Tourism and Sport composition of the Council Minister of State at the varies according to the items Department of Transport, on the agenda. Tourism and Sport with special responsibility for Tourism and Sport
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Attendance at Council
In order to track Irish performance in the EU’s final voting and decision-making procedures, EM Ireland recorded Irish attendance and representation at meetings of the European Council and the 10 configurations of the Council of the European Union throughout 2013. In order to compare the level of Ireland’s engagement with the EU at Council level with the engagement of our European counterparts, EM Ireland also tracked the attendance records of all EU Member States at Council meetings. This EU-wide comparative work was first conducted for the Accountability Report 2012.
It is important to note that, on occasions, the agendas for Council meetings can contain little or no substantive policy discussion or decisions listed. This may be attributed, at least in part, to inter-Institutional processes or to the organisation of business by the holder of the Presidency of the Council of the EU. It is also necessary to highlight that officials representing Ireland at Council meetings in the absence of a minister do so on the basis that politically approved positions have already been taken on the items under discussion.
Ministerial Attendance at European Council Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD attended all of the seven European Council meetings which took place during 2013. This represents a 100% attendance record, in line with the 2012 attendance rate of 100%.
Ministerial Attendance at the Councils of the European Union Overall, Irish ministerial attendance at the 10 configurations of the Council of the EU stands at an average of 99% for 2013. This is an increase of two percentage points from the findings of European Movement Ireland’s Accountability Report 2012, where the overall ministerial attendance rate recorded for the full calendar year was 97%. Below are the details of Irish ministerial attendance for each of the Council configurations in 2013.
. Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRI) There were 10 meetings of the AGRI Council in 2013 with 100% Irish ministerial attendance. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, attended all 10 meetings.
. Competitiveness Council (COMPET) There was 100% Irish ministerial attendance at the four meetings of the COMPET Council that took place in 2013. The lead Irish Minister, Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, attended two of the meetings, while Seán Sherlock TD, Minister of State for Research and Innovation, attended on the other two occasions.
. Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) 10 meetings of the ECOFIN Council took place in 2013, with lead Irish Minister, Michael Noonan TD, Minister for Finance, attending seven of these meetings. Junior ministers were present at the remaining three meetings, resulting in an Irish ministerial attendance rate of 100%. Minister of State for Public Service Reform and the Office of Public Works, Brian Hayes TD, attended four meetings and Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe TD, attended one meeting.
. Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (EYCS) There were three meetings of the EYCS Council in 2013. Attendance lists and comprehensive documentation have only been made available for two of these three meetings, limiting the scope of our analysis. Irish ministerial attendance at the two meetings for which documentation is available stands at 100%. Ruairí Quinn TD, Minister for Education and Skills, attended both meetings, while Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, also attended one meeting.
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. Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) There were four meetings of the EPSCO Council in 2013. Attendance lists and comprehensive documentation have only been made available for three of these four meetings, limiting the scope of our analysis. Irish ministerial attendance at these three meetings stands at 100%. Joan Burton TD, Minister for Social Protection, attended two meetings, as did Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, while Dr James Reilly TD, Minister for Health, attended one meeting. Ciarán Cannon TD, Minister of State for Training and Skills, also attended one meeting.
. Environment Council (ENVI) There were four meetings of the ENVI Council in 2013. Phil Hogan TD, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, attended three of these meetings. Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, joined Minister Hogan at two of these meetings. Thus, the overall Irish ministerial attendance at 2013 meetings of the Environment Council stands at 75%. The meeting at which there was no Irish minister present took place on the same day as the announcement of the Irish Budget 2014, meaning that it was not possible for Irish ministers to attend. This meeting was instead attended by a senior Irish civil servant.
. Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) There were 16 FAC meetings in 2013, with Irish ministerial attendance at 100% of these meetings, an improvement on the 92% attendance rate in 2012. Eamon Gilmore TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, attended 11 of the 16 meetings. At the remaining five meetings, Ireland was represented by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, and then Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton. Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter TD, and Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, also accompanied the Tánaiste at a number of meetings.
. General Affairs Council (GAC) 10 GAC meetings took place during 2013 and Irish ministerial attendance for these meetings stands at 100%. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore TD, attended five of these 10 meetings. At the remaining five meetings, Ireland was represented by a range of other Ministers, including the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD. Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD, attended four meetings alongside the Tánaiste. In the latter part of 2013, her replacement as Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe TD, attended three meetings.
. Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) There were four meetings of the JHA Council in 2013. Irish Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defence, Alan Shatter TD, attended all four of these meetings, resulting in a 100% ministerial attendance rate.
. Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (TTE) There were six meetings of the TTE Council in 2013, with Irish ministerial attendance for these meetings standing at 100%. There was Irish lead ministerial attendance at all six of these meetings. Depending on the items on the agenda of the meeting, Pat Rabbitte TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, or Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, attended the meetings throughout the year. Minister of State for the NewEra Project, Fergus O’Dowd TD, also attended one meeting.
(Please see the table on following page for a full breakdown)
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Table of Irish Ministerial Attendance at Council Meetings during 2013 Total No. of % Ministerial % Attendance % Ministerial Difference in % Lead % Junior Council Meetings Attendance by Officials Attendance Ministerial Attendance Minister 2013 Minister 2013 2013 2013 2013 2012 vs 2012 Agriculture and Fisheries 10 100% 100% 0% 0% 100% - Competitiveness 4 100% 50% 50% 0% 100% - Economic and Financial Affairs 10 100% 70% 30% 0% 92% +8 Education, Youth, Culture and 2 100% 100% 0% 0% 100% - Sport11 Employment, Social Policy, 3 100% 66% 33% 0% 100% - Health and Consumer Affairs12 Environment 4 75% 75% 0% 25% 100% -25 Foreign Affairs 16 100% 94% 6% 0% 92% +8 General Affairs 10 100% 60% 40% 0% 100% - Justice and Home Affairs 4 100% 100% 0% 0% 100% - Transport, Telecommunications 6 100% 100% 0% 0% 100% - and Energy
11 Attendance lists and documentation have only been made available for two of the three meetings EYCS meetings in 2013. These statistics are based on the records available. 12 Attendance lists and documentation have only been made available for three of the four meetings EPSCO meetings in 2013. These statistics are based on the records available. 53 European Movement Ireland
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Summary As can be seen from this table, nine of the 10 Councils of the European Union enjoyed a 100% Irish ministerial attendance rate in 2013. Overall, of the 69 Council meetings that took place during 2013 and for which there are attendance records available, there was Irish ministerial representation at 68. This is due to the fact that one meeting took place on Budget day, and so Irish ministerial presence was not possible. In 2013, Ireland’s overall average ministerial attendance rate at Councils of the European Union was 99%.
The 2013 Irish ministerial attendance rate of 99% is an increase of two percentage points from the 2012 attendance rate of 97%. These statistics indicate a very encouraging and strong commitment on the part of the Irish Government to the EU, given that the business done at these Council meetings forms a significant portion of the work representing national interests at an EU level.
These Council meetings provide a forum for each country to outline its position on certain matters of relevance and adopt laws on these issues. The networking opportunities afforded by these meetings cannot be overlooked. Ministers have the chance to meet their European counterparts face to face, discuss the issues affecting them and discern the attitudes of the other countries. The presence of a government minister, elected by the Irish people, is also important for the purposes of transparency within the workings of the Council. Given the critical nature of current EU-Ireland relations, it is encouraging to see that this channel of engagement with Ireland’s European partners was being leveraged effectively by Irish ministers in 2013, and it is vital that this work continues.
Comparison with Ministerial Attendance Rates of Other EU Countries
The two tables on the following pages outline the ministerial attendance rates of each EU country at the 2013 meetings of the 10 configurations of the Council of the European Union.
Each European country has a different system of appointing and classifying Ministers and Junior Ministers. Therefore, for the purposes of this indicator, EM Ireland has recorded the attendance rates of those Ministers listed in the press releases for each Council meeting, where names and positions of attendees were provided.
(Please see tables on following pages)
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2013 Ministerial Attendance Rate: Irish Comparison with EU Countries (Austria – Italy)
13 No. of
Council meetings
Italy
Czech
epublic
France
Cyprus
Greece
Ireland
Austria
Estonia Finland
Belgium
Bulgaria Hungary
in 2013 R
Croatia
Denmark Germany
Agriculture and 10 100% 50% 90% 100% 90% 70% 100% 90% 70% 90% 90% 90% 100% 70% 80% Fisheries Competitiveness 4 100% 50% 100% 50% 75% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Economic and 10 100% 60% 80% 70% 60% 70% 100% 90% 90% 80% 80% 90% 100% 90% 100% Financial Affairs Education, Youth, 2 100% 50% 50% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% 0% 50% 50% 100% 100% 50% 100% Culture and Sport14 Employment, Social Policy, Health and 3 100% 33% 100% 100% 66% 66% 100% 66% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 66% 33% Consumer Affairs15 Environment 4 75% 0% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 100% 50% 75% 50% 100% 100% 100% 75% Foreign Affairs 16 100% 75% 63% 81% 94% 75% 100% 100% 63% 88% 94% 100% 100% 88% 100% General Affairs 10 100% 60% 80% 90% 80% 80% 100% 100% 40% 90% 100% 90% 100% 100% 90% Justice and Home 4 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 75% 75% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Affairs Transport, Telecommunications 6 100% 50% 50% 83% 66% 33% 83% 83% 33% 83% 66% 100% 83% 50% 83% and Energy Average - 99% 58% 78% 84% 83% 71% 94% 94% 65% 87% 87% 96% 99% 84% 90%
13 For the first six months of 2013, Croatia as an acceding country to the EU had active observer status in the European Institutions, allowing it to become familiar with the working methods of the EU Institutions and to be involved in the decision-making process. On 1 July 2013, Croatia joined the EU becoming the Union’s 28th Member State. 14 Attendance lists and documentation have only been made available for two of the three meetings EYCS meetings in 2013. These statistics are based on the records available. 15 Attendance lists and documentation have only been made available for three of the four meetings EPSCO meetings in 2013. These statistics are based on the records available. 55 European Movement Ireland
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2013 Ministerial Attendance Rate: Irish Comparison with EU Countries (Latvia – UK)
No. of
Council meetings 28
UK
herlands
Spain
Malta
Latvia
Poland
Ireland
verageof
Sweden
Slovakia Slovenia
in 2013 Portugal
Romania
Lithuania
A
Net Luxembourg
Agriculture and 10 100% 90% 100% 100% 90% 90% 100% 100% 90% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 88% Fisheries Competitiveness 4 100% 100% 75% 75% 100% 75% 100% 100% 100% 25% 50% 100% 100% 75% 81% Economic and 10 100% 100% 100% 80% 60% 90% 90% 80% 90% 90% 90% 90% 100% 100% 91% Financial Affairs Education, Youth, 2 100% 100% 100% 50% 100% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 80% Culture and Sport16 Employment, Social Policy, Health and 3 100% 100% 100% 100% 66% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 66% 100% 100% 100% 81% Consumer Affairs17 Environment 4 75% 100% 100% 100% 100% 75% 100% 100% 100% 100% 75% 100% 100% 100% 83% Foreign Affairs 16 100% 81% 100% 63% 63% 94% 100% 100% 88% 94% 88% 100% 100% 100% 76% General Affairs 10 100% 100% 100% 80% 80% 60% 60% 100% 100% 80% 100% 80% 100% 100% 85% Justice and Home 4 100% 100% 100% 100% 75% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 94% Affairs Transport, Telecommunications 6 100% 100% 100% 66% 50% 33% 100% 83% 100% 100% 83% 66% 66% 100% 74% and Energy Average - 99% 94% 99% 80% 74% 80% 93% 96% 94% 90% 88% 93% 97% 97% -
16 Attendance lists and documentation have only been made available for two of the three meetings EYCS meetings in 2013. These statistics are based on the records available. 17 Attendance lists and documentation have only been made available for three of the four meetings EPSCO meetings in 2013. These statistics are based on the records available. European Movement Ireland 56
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Irish Comparison with European Member States As can be seen from the tables on the previous pages, Ireland performs very well in terms of overall ministerial attendance at meetings of the Councils of the EU. In fact, Ireland ranks joint first of the EU’s Member States – alongside Greece and Lithuania – with an average ministerial attendance rate of 99%. This is an increase of two percentage points from the 2012 Irish ministerial attendance rate of 97% as recorded in the Accountability Report 2012.
That Ireland’s ministerial attendance rate at the Council of the EU outstrips the attendance rates of almost all other EU countries is hugely encouraging from an Irish perspective and shows real commitment on the part of the Irish Government towards engaging with Ireland’s European partners.
The findings of this chapter indicate that holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union has a major effect on attendance rates at Council meetings. Ireland enjoyed the same excellent attendance rates as both Lithuania and Greece who followed Ireland as the second and third instalments of the Presidency trio programme running from January 2013 to June 2014. The trio programme is an 18- month plan of work prepared by an incoming group of three EU Council Presidencies and the Council Secretariat which sets out key objectives to drive forward the EU agenda. Ireland’s Presidency trio partners were Lithuania (July-December 2013) and Greece (January-June 2014). The trio programme promotes a coherent approach to planning the Council’s work over 18 months rather than just the six months of each Presidency. In this way, Presidencies can identify and develop longer-term priorities and strategies for reaching these objectives.
Average Ministerial Attendance Rates of Councils of the European Union The best attended Council configuration in 2013, for the third year running, was the Justice and Home Affairs Council, with an average attendance rate across all EU Member States of 94%. This is a marginal decrease on the 2012 attendance rate of 96%. In terms of attendance, the Justice and Home Affairs Council is followed closely by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, which had an overall average ministerial attendance rate of 91% during 2013, and the Agriculture and Fisheries Council at 88%.
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Key Findings
. Ireland’s overall ministerial attendance rate at 2013 meetings of the Council of the European Union was 99%. This is an increase on 2012, when the Irish ministerial attendance rate was 97%, and the highest Irish ministerial attendance rate since European Movement Ireland began tracking this engagement in our Accountability Report.
. Ireland ranked joint first – alongside Greece and Lithuania – in terms of average ministerial attendance at meetings of the Council the EU in 2013.
. Nine out of 10 Council configurations had an Irish ministerial attendance rate of 100% in 2013.
. Taoiseach Enda Kenny had a 100% attendance rate at 2013 meetings of the European Council. This 100% attendance rate has been consistent since European Movement Ireland produced its first Accountability Report in 2010.
. Across the 28 EU Member States, the best attended Council configuration in 2013 was the Justice and Home Affairs Council, which had an attendance rate of 94%.
Irish Ministerial Attendance at Councils of the European Union, 2010-2013 100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0% 2010 2011 2012 2013
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Chapter Four
Oireachtas Engagement
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This chapter relates to the engagement of the Irish political system with the EU. Throughout 2013, EM Ireland tracked a number of key indicators for the purposes of this chapter, namely the 2013 attendance rates of members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs; topics of discussion at the EU Affairs Committee in 2013; and the number of briefings to Oireachtas committees that took place in advance of or following meetings of the Council of the European Union that same year.
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Image provided courtesy of the Houses of the European Union Affairs Oireachtas.
Under the 31st Dáil, there is now one Oireachtas committee dealing with EU affairs: the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs.
According to the Oireachtas website, the European Union Affairs Committee:
“plays a key role in informing debate on the European Union in Ireland by fully considering important EU developments and initiatives affecting Ireland, ensuring that EU legislation and proposals are properly scrutinised and in holding the Government to account in Ireland’s relations with Europe.”18
During 2013, there were a total of 33 meetings of the European Union Affairs Committee, all of which were attended by an EM Ireland staff member.
2013 Members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs There were nine Teachtaí Dála (Members of the Irish Parliament, or TDs) and five Senators on the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs in 2013, as detailed in the table below.
Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs Chairperson Dominic Hannigan TD (Labour) Paschal Donohoe TD (Fine Gael) until 18 July 2013 Vice-Chair Dara Murphy TD (Fine Gael) from 18 July 2013 Seán Crowe TD (Sinn Féin) Timmy Dooley TD (Fianna Fáil) Bernard J. Durkan TD (Fine Gael) TDs John Halligan TD (Independent) Colm Keaveney TD (Labour) / replaced by Eric Byrne TD (Labour) from 17 July 2013 Seán Kyne TD (Fine Gael) Joe O’Reilly TD (Fine Gael)
18 Oireachtas website, http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/oireachtasbusiness/committees_list/eu-affairs/. European Movement Ireland 60
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Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs Senator Colm Burke (Fine Gael) Senator Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) / replaced by Senator Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) from 19 July 2013 Senator James Heffernan (Labour) / replaced by Senator John Kelly (Labour) from 19 July 2013 Senators / replaced by Senator Marie Moloney (Labour) from 26 September 2013 / replaced by Senator Aideen Haydeen (Labour) from 5 November 2013 Senator Terry Leyden (Fianna Fáil) Senator Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Féin)
Attendance at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs EM Ireland tracked attendance levels at the European Union Affairs Committee throughout 2013. The average attendance rate for the members of the European Union Affairs Committee during this period stood at just over 55%. This is a decrease of nine percentage points from the 2012 attendance rate of 64%, as analysed in the Accountability Report 2012.
European Movement Ireland acknowledges that analysing the attendance rates of members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs does not allow for a thorough analysis of the level of engagement of the Committee members.
European Union Affairs Committee Discussion Throughout 2013, EM Ireland tracked the agendas set for meetings of the European Union Affairs Committee, the details of which are below.
Date Topics under discussion Discussion with 29/01/2013 Meeting of the General Affairs An Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD Council (GAC) 21/02/2013 The implications for Ireland of an Economists from Think-tank for Action on Social Change evolving Economic and Monetary (TASC) and University College Cork (UCC) Union (EMU) 28/02/2013 How Ireland can best manage the Ann Cahill, Irish Examiner; Dan O’Brien, Irish Times; and challenges presented in an evolving Sean Whelan, RTÉ European Union 05/03/2013 Meeting of the General Affairs An Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD Council (GAC) 07/03/2013 Ireland and the future of the Emer Costello MEP, Gay Mitchell MEP and Paul Murphy European Union MEP 14/03/2013 How Ireland can best manage the Professor Brigid Laffan and Dr Gavin Barrett, University challenges presented in an evolving College Dublin (UCD) European Union 21/03/2013 European Youth Guarantee James Doorley, National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI); James Higgins, European Youth Forum (EYF); and Dermot Stokes, formerly of Youthreach
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Date Topics under discussion Discussion with 16/04/2013 The National Reform Plan John Callinan, Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility for economic, international and Northern Ireland affairs; Terry Corcoran and Jim Walsh, Department of Social Protection; John McCarthy, Department of Finance; Pauline Mulligan, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; Stjohn O'Connor, Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Brian O'Meara, Department of Education and Skills; and Owen Ryan, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government 23/04/2013 European Economic and Monetary Professor John McHale, Professor of Economics, and Dr Union (EMU) Alan Ahearne, lecturer in economics, National University of Ireland, Galway 30/04/2013 European Economic and Monetary Professor Patrick Honohan, Patrick Brady and Colm Larkin, Union (EMU) Central Bank of Ireland 07/05/2013 Europe Week 2013 Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD 09/05/2013 Relationship between the United David Lidington MP, United Kingdom Minister for Europe Kingdom and Europe 16/05/2013 Presentation from Amnesty Colm O'Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International International Ireland and Iverna McGowan, Amnesty International’s EU Institutions office 21/05/2013 European Movement Ireland’s Neale Richmond and Billie Sparks, European Movement submission to the Committee as part Ireland of the national debate on Ireland and the future of the EU 30/05/2013 The joint challenges Ireland and Briefing by a delegation from the European Affairs France face in Europe Committee of the French National Assembly, led by the Committee chairperson, Danielle Auroi, accompanied by Committee member Michel Piron; Her Excellency Emmanuelle D'Achon, French Ambassador to Ireland; Annabelle Archien, Committee administrator; Marianne Ziss, First Secretary, French Embassy in Ireland 18/06/2013 Democratic accountability and Francis Jacobs, Head of the European Parliament legitimacy in the EU Information Office in Ireland 20/06/2013 Democratic accountability and Roland Freudenstein, Deputy Director and Head of legitimacy in the EU Research at the Centre for European Studies, Brussels 02/07/2013 Democratic accountability and Sonia Piedrafita, Research Fellow, Centre for European legitimacy in the EU Policy Studies 11/07/2013 Priorities of the Lithuanian His Excellency Vidmantas Purlys, Ambassador of Lithuania Presidency of the Council of the to Ireland European Union 16/07/2013 Democratic accountability and David Kitching, Policy Advisor, Foundation for European legitimacy in the EU Progressive Studies 19/09/2013 Meeting of the General Affairs Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe Council (GAC) TD 25/09/2013 Turkish EU accession process Members of the Turkish Parliament; Ruhi Açıkgöz, Chair of Turkey-Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group; and Şafak Pavey, member of the Turkish Committee on EU Harmonization. Also joined by Ahmet Kaymaz, expert on legislation
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Date Topics under discussion Discussion with 10/10/2013 The Oireachtas and the European Dr Gavin Barrett, Senior Lecturer, School of Law, Union: The evolving role of a University College Dublin (UCD) national parliament in European Affairs 17/10/2013 Meeting of the General Affairs Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe Council (GAC) TD 24/10/2013 The experience of Estonia and Latvia His Excellency Gints Apals, Ambassador of Latvia to in the EU Ireland, and His Excellency Malt Martinson, Ambassador of Estonia to Ireland 12/11/2013 European Commission's Work Barbara Nolan, Head of the European Commission Programme 2014 Representation in Ireland 14/11/2013 Meeting of the General Affairs Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe Council (GAC) TD 20/11/2013 Social dimension of the Economic Koos Richelle, Director General, Directorate-General for and Monetary Union (EMU) Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission 21/11/2013 Social dimension of the Economic John Farrell, Irish National Organisation of the and Monetary Union (EMU) Unemployed (INOU); Fr Sean Healy, Social Justice Ireland (SJI); and Dr Peter Rigney, Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) 26/11/2013 Social dimension of the Economic Professor Tim Callan, Economic and Social Research and Monetary Union (EMU) Institute (ESRI); Tony Donohoe, Ibec; and Philip O’Connor, European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland (EAPNI) 03/12/2013 Social dimension of the Economic James Doorley, Assistant Director, National Youth Council and Monetary Union (EMU) of Ireland (NYCI), and Orla O’Connor, Director, National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) 10/12/2013 Meeting of the General Affairs Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe Council (GAC) TD 17/12/2013 European Court of Auditors Annual Kevin Cardiff, Edward Fennessy, Mary Kerrigan and Johan Report for 2012 Adrian Lok, European Court of Auditors
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Pre-Council Briefings
Pre-Council briefings take place when a spokesperson for a particular Government department appears before the relevant Oireachtas committee to brief the committee about the agenda of a forthcoming EU Council meeting relevant to that particular department. Under the Programme for Government 2011:
“all Ministers will be obliged to appear before their respective Committees or before the Committee on European Affairs prior to travelling to Brussels for meetings of the Council where decisions are made.”19
For this 2013 Accountability Report, European Movement Ireland examined the minutes of all Oireachtas committee meetings that took place during 2013 in order to establish whether and when pre-Council and post-Council briefings took place. It is worth noting at this point that although Ministers often appear before the Oireachtas Committee related to the work of their department to discuss various issues which may include a Council meeting, for the purposes of this Report, a meeting was recorded as a pre-Council or post-Council briefing only where it was an item on the agenda of the relevant committee meeting.
In its early editions, the Accountability Report limited its examination of pre-Council briefings to those which took place in advance of General Affairs Council (GAC) meetings. The scope of this indicator was expanded in the Accountability Report 2012 to include an analysis of pre-Council and post-Council briefings for all configurations of the Council of the EU. This analysis has been continued for 2013 and is detailed below, with the findings regarding GAC pre-Council Briefings outlined first. a) General Affairs Pre-Council Briefings (GAC) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs 10 General Affairs Council (GAC) meetings took place over the course of 2013. The dates of these GAC meetings and whether or not a pre-Council or post-Council briefing took place in front of the appropriate Oireachtas Committee, in this case the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs, are outlined below:
Date of GAC Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 04/02/2013 Yes. On 24/01/2013 the Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming GAC meeting. 12/02/2013 No 11/03/2013 Yes. On 05/03/2013 the Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming GAC meeting. 22/04/2013 No 21/05/2013 No 25/06/2013 No 30/09/2013 Yes. On 19/09/2013 Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming GAC meeting. 22/10/2013 Yes. On 17/10/2013 Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming GAC meeting. 19/11/2013 Yes. On 14/11/2013 Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming GAC meeting. 17/12/2013 Yes. On 10/12/2013 Minister of State for European Affairs, Paschal Donohoe TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming GAC meeting.
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Therefore, of the 10 GAC meetings which took place during 2013, six had pre-Council briefings before the EU Affairs Committee.
Based on this analysis, 60% of General Affairs Council meetings in 2013 were preceded by a pre-Council briefing to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs. This represents a marginal decrease of four percentage points on the 2012 rate of 64%.
b) Agriculture and Fisheries Pre-Council Briefings (AGRI) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine Ten meetings of the Agriculture and Fisheries (AGRI) Council took place in 2013. Of these ten meetings, three (30%) were either preceded by a pre-Council briefing or followed by a post-Council briefing to the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Date of AGRI Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 28/01/2013 No 25/02/2013-26/02/2013 Yes. On 21/02/2013 a number of officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming AGRI Council meeting. 18/03/2013 No 22/04/2013 No 13/05/2013-14/05/2013 No 24/06/2013-25/06/2013 No 15/07/2013 Yes. On 18/07/2013, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the recent AGRI Council meeting. 23/09/2013 No 17/10/2013 No 16/12/2013 Yes. On 03/12/2013 a number of officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine appeared before the Committee to give a six-monthly report on developments in the EU and to discuss the forthcoming AGRI Council meeting
c) Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry, Research and Space) Pre-Council Briefings (COMPET) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Four Competitiveness (COMPET) Council meetings took place in 2013. Of these four meetings, two (50%) were preceded by a pre-Council briefing to the Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
Date of COMPET Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 19/02/2013 Yes. On 31/01/2013 Secretary General of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, John Murphy, appeared before the Committee to brief members on the forthcoming COMPET Council meeting. 29/05/2013-30/05/2013 No 26/09/2013-27/09/2013 Yes. On 16/07/2013 Secretary General of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, John Murphy, appeared before the Committee to brief members on the forthcoming COMPET Council meeting. 02/12/2013 No.
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d) Economic and Financial Affairs Pre-Council Briefings (ECOFIN) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform 10 Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN) Council meetings took place in 2013. Of these 10 meetings, four (40%) were either preceded by a pre-Council briefing or followed by a post-Council briefing to the Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform.
Date of ECOFIN Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 22/01/2013 Yes. On 31/01/2013 officials from the Department of Finance briefed the Committee on the recent ECOFIN Council meeting. 05/03/2013 No 14/05/2013 Yes. On 08/05/2013 Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming ECOFIN Council meeting. 26/06/2013-27/06/2013 No 09/07/2013 Yes. On 03/07/2013 Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming ECOFIN Council meeting. 15/10/2013 No 11/11/2013 No 15/11/2013 Yes. On 13/11/2013 Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming ECOFIN Council meeting. 10/12/2013 No 18/12/2013 No e) Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Pre-Council Briefings (EYCS) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection Three Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) Council meetings took place in 2013. Of these three meetings, two (66%) were preceded by a pre-Council briefing to the Committee on Education and Social Protection.
Date of EYCS Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 15/02/2013 No 16/05/2013-17/05/2013 Yes. On 17/04/2013 officials from the Department of Education and Skills briefed the Committee on the forthcoming EYCS Council meeting, with a specific focus on multilingualism. 25/11/2013 Yes. On 06/11/2013 officials from the Department of Education and Skills briefed the Committee on the forthcoming EYCS Council meeting, with a specific focus on the Youth Guarantee. f) Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Pre-Council Briefings (EPSCO) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Four Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs (EPSCO) Council meetings took place in 2013. Of these four meetings, one (25%) was preceded by a pre-Council briefing to the Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
Date of EPSCO Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 28/02/2013 No 20/06/2013-21/06/2013 No 15/10/2013 No 09/12/2013 Yes. On 26/11/2013 Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming EPSCO Council meeting.
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g) Environment Pre-Council Briefings (ENVI) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht Four Environment (ENVI) Council meetings took place in 2013. Of these four meetings, none (0%) was preceded by a pre-Council briefing to the Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht.
Date of ENVI Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 21/03/2013 No 18/06/2013 No 14/10/2013 No 13/12/2013 No
h) Foreign Affairs Pre-Council Briefings (FAC) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade 16 Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meetings took place in 2013. Of these 16 meetings, five (31%) were either preceded by a pre-Council briefing or followed by a post-Council briefing to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. This is an increase of eight percentage points on the 23% of 2012 Foreign Affairs Council meetings that were either preceded or followed by a Committee briefing.
Date of FAC Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 17/01/2013 No 31/01/2013 Yes. On 23/01/2013 Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming FAC meeting. 18/02/2013 No 11/03/2013 No 22/04/2013 Yes. On 17/04/2013 Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming FAC meeting. 27/05/2013-28/05/2013 No 14/06/2013 No 24/06/2013 Yes. On 26/06/2013 Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the recent FAC meeting. 22/07/2013 Yes. On 17/07/2013 Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming FAC meeting. 21/08/2013 No 18/10/2013 No 21/10/2013 No 18/11/2013 No 03/12/2013 Yes. On 04/12/2013 Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the FAC meeting which took place the previous day. 12/12/2013 No 16/12/2013 No
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i) Justice and Home Affairs Pre-Council Briefings (JHA) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality Four Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council meetings took place in 2013. Of these four meetings, one (25%) was preceded by a pre-Council briefing to the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality.
Date of JHA Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 08/03/2013 No 06/06/2013-07/06/2013 No 07/10/2013-08/10/2013 Yes. On 02/10/2013 Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming JHA Council meeting. 05/12/2013 No j) Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Pre-Council Briefings (TTE) to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Six Transport, Telecommunications and Energy (TTE) Council meetings took place in 2013. Of these six meetings, three (50%) were preceded by a pre-Council briefing to the Committee on Transport and Communications. This represents an increase of 36 percentage points on the rate of TTE Pre-Council Briefings in 2012.
Date of TTE Meeting Pre-Council Briefing 22/02/2013 No 11/03/2013 No 06/06/2013-10/06/2013 Yes. On 08/05/2013 Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming TTE Council meeting. 10/10/2013 Yes. On 09/10/2013 Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming TTE Council meeting. 05/12/2013 Yes. On 27/11/2013 Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD, appeared before the Committee to discuss the forthcoming TTE Council meeting. 12/12/2013 No
Ranking of Pre-Council Briefings Based on percentage, the ranking order of Councils of the EU which were preceded by a pre-Council briefing or followed by a post-Council briefing at Oireachtas level were as follows:
Rank Council Configuration 1st EYCS (66%) 2nd GAC (60%) Joint 3rd COMPET, TTE (50%) 5th ECOFIN (40%) 6th FAC (31%) 7th AGRI (30%) Joint 8th EPSCO, JHA (25%) 10th ENVI (0%)
Overall, of the 71 Council meetings that took place during 2013, 27 (38%) had pre-Council or post- Council briefings in front of the relevant Oireachtas Committee. This is an increase of four percentage points compared to the 2012 rate of 34%.
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Key Findings
. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs met a total of 33 times during 2013.
. The average attendance rate of members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs in 2013 was 55%.
. Pre-Council briefings took place in relation to six out of the 10 General Affairs Council (GAC) meetings that took place in 2013. This represents a percentage total of 60%; a slight decrease on the 2012 rate of 64% but much higher than the 2011 rate of 27%.
. Of the 71 Council meetings that took place during 2013, 27 (38%) had pre-Council or post-Council briefings in front of the relevant Oireachtas Committee, an increase of four percentage points compared to 2012.
The table below outlines the key European Parliament findings of the Accountability Report over the course of its four years of existence since its first edition in 2010.
Indicator 2010 2011 2012 2013
Attendance at Joint Oireachtas Committee on 58% 71% 64% 55% European Union Affairs Rate of pre and post-Council briefings for 0% 27% 64% 60% meetings of the General Affairs Council (GAC) Rate of pre and post-Council briefings for all New indicator 2012 34% 38% Council configurations
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Acknowledgements
European Movement Ireland would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following people to the Accountability Campaign and Report 2013:
EM Ireland Board and Advisory Council
Members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs and Interparliamentary Unit of the Houses of the Oireachtas
Irish Members of the European Parliament in 2013: Liam Aylward MEP Nessa Childers MEP Emer Costello MEP Brian Crowley MEP Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher MEP Marian Harkin MEP Jim Higgins MEP Seán Kelly MEP Mairead McGuinness MEP Gay Mitchell MEP Paul Murphy MEP Phil Prendergast MEP
European Movement Ireland Stagiaires: Aislinn Dwyer Nick Lee Richard Murphy Fiona Small
Members of the public, officials, policymakers and academics who have contributed their thoughts, feedback and expertise to the Accountability Campaign since its inception in 2010.
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