Relations with the European Parliament
Article The constitution
Since the vast majority of the European Union’s legal acts is adopted jointly by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, a close dialogue with the European Parliament is indispensable.
The Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force on 1 December 2009, gave the European Parliament much greater decision-making powers.
The official seat of the European Parliament is Strasbourg, where every year twelve four-day plenary sessions take place.
The European Parliament as legislator
With the Lisbon Treaty, what was previously the co-decision procedure became now the ordinary legislative procedure. This means that, in addition to the Council, the European Parliament as co-legislator has to agree to more than 90 per cent of the legislative acts passed by the European Union. This applies in particular to legislation in the field of justice and home affairs.
But also in areas where the European Parliament only has the right to be heard, it can successfully advance its interests by creating “political packages”. The European Parliament is an independent player in the institutional triangle with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union.
That is why it is important for the Federal Ministry of the Interior to present and explain Germany’s current domestic policies and bills to the European Parliament. To this end, it holds regular meetings and discussions with the parliament.
