European governance: operating framework for the European regulatory agencies

The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the own-initiative report drafted by Teresa ALMEIDA GARRETT (EPP-ED, P) on the operating framework for the European Regulatory Agencies. (Please see the document of 01/12/03). Parliament stressed that the choice in favour of creating an agency must be justified in each case on the basis of an external cost-benefit assessment, taking account of the nature of the tasks to be allocated, the need for non-statutory specialised staff and the desired degree of decision-making autonomy. The structure of future agencies may be differentiated in line with the degree of communitarisation in a specific area. The aim must be establish clear chains of responsibility whilst guaranteeing that the agency enjoys the necessary autonomy and credibility. With regard to external scrutiny of the agencies, this must comprise the following elements: - judicial supervision; - financial and budgetary control exercised jointly by Parliament, the Council and the Court of Auditors when the budget is drawn up and adopted and during the discharge procedure; - political scrutiny exercised primarily by Parliament, in particular through informal monitoring of the agency's work by the specialised parliamentary committees, scrutiny by the European Ombudsman in order to ascertain that administration is in accordance with sound management principles, and supervision by the agency's 'users' and the general public.�