Better lawmaking 2002: application of the principle of subsidiarity. 10th annual report

The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the own-initiative report drafted by Diana WALLIS (ELDR, UK) welcoming the Commission's report on better lawmaking. (Please see the summary of 27/01/04.) Parliament recalled that the principle of subsidiarity aims to ensure that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the Union's citizens. The principle entails a form of scrutiny as to whether the reach of Community action into the domain of the Member States is justified. The principle of subsidiarity should also serve to encourage Union intervention in sectors which do not fall within its exclusive competence if, and to the extent that, the objectives of the planned action cannot be adequately achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved at Community level. Parliament stressed that ex-ante and ex-post examination of this multifaceted principle is of utmost importance within the context of the Union dynamics.�