<TI><P><HT TYPE="BOLD">TIMETABLE FOR THE COMMISSION WORK PROGRAMME</HT></P></TI>The Commission Work Programme shall be accompanied by a list of legislative and non-legislative proposals for the following years. The Commission Work Programme covers the next year in question, and provides a detailed indication of the Commission’s priorities for the subsequent years. The Commission Work Programme can thus be the basis for a structured dialogue with Parliament, with a view to seeking a common understanding.
The Commission Work Programme shall also include planned initiatives on soft law, withdrawals and simplification.
- 1.In the first semester of a given year, Members of the Commission shall undertake an ongoing regular dialogue with the corresponding parliamentary committees on the implementation of the Commission Work Programme for that year and on the preparation of the future Commission Work Programme. On the basis of that dialogue each parliamentary committee shall report on the outcome thereof to the Conference of Committee Chairs.
- 2.In parallel the Conference of Committee Chairs shall hold a regular exchange of views with the Vice-President of the Commission responsible for interinstitutional relations, in order to assess the state of implementation of the current Commission Work Programme, discuss the preparation of the future Commission Work Programme and take stock of the results of the ongoing bilateral dialogue between the parliamentary committees concerned and relevant Members of the Commission.
- 3.In June, the Conference of Committees Chairs shall submit a summary report to the Conference of Presidents, which should include results of the screening of the implementation of the Commission Work Programme as well as Parliament’s priorities for the forthcoming Commission Work Programme, and Parliament shall inform the Commission thereof.
- 4.On the basis of that summary report, Parliament shall adopt a resolution at the July part-session, outlining its position and including in particular requests based on legislative initiative reports.
- 5.Each year in the first part-session of September, a State of the Union debate will be held in which the President of the Commission shall deliver an address, taking stock of the current year and looking ahead to priorities for the following years. To that end, the President of the Commission will in parallel set out in writing to Parliament the main elements guiding the preparation of the Commission Work Programme for the following year.
- 6.From the start of September, the competent parliamentary committees and the relevant Members of the Commission may meet for a more detailed exchange of views on future priorities in each policy area. These meetings shall be rounded off by a meeting between the Conference of Committee Chairs and the College of Commissioners and by a meeting between the Conference of Presidents and the President of the Commission, as appropriate.
- 7.In October, the Commission shall adopt its Work Programme for the following year. Subsequently, the President of the Commission shall present that Work Programme to Parliament at an appropriate level.
- 8.Parliament may hold a debate and adopt a resolution at the December part-session.
- 9.This timetable shall be applied to each regular programming cycle, except for Parliament election years coinciding with the end of the Commission’s term of office.
- 10.This timetable shall not prejudice any future agreement on interinstitutional programming.