EP Rules of Procedure, Rule 50 and Rule 56(3): associated committees and referral back to committee in the event of rejection of a Commission proposal, interpretation

The Committee on Constitutional Affairs, which had been consulted on the application of Rules 56 and 50, provided the following interpretations on those provisions:

"Interpretation of Rule 56

Following a referral back to committee under Rule 56(3), the committee responsible, prior to adopting its decision on the procedure, must allow a committee associated under Rule 50 to make its choice as to which amendments are its exclusive competence, including the choice of the amendments that are to be resubmitted to Parliament.

The time limit set in the second subparagraph of paragraph 3 applied to the submission, orally or in writing, of the report by the committee responsible. It did not affect Parliament's decision as to when consideration of the procedure in question should recommence.

Interpretation of Rule 50

The decision by the Conference of Presidents to apply the associated committee procedure applied at all stages of the procedure in question.

The committee responsible could exercise the entitlements arising from its status as 'lead committee'. In exercising those entitlements it had to respect the prerogatives of the associated committee, including the requirement to cooperate fairly with regard to timing and the right of the associated committee to decide on the amendments to be submitted to Parliament in fields that were its exclusive competence.

In the event of the committee responsible not recognising the prerogatives of the associated committee, the decisions taken by the former would remain valid, but the latter could directly submit amendments to Parliament, within the bounds of its exclusive competence."