Testing two annual reports on Juncker Commission 2015

With regard to the Annual Growth Survey 2015 and the European Semester  and the Commission Work Programme 2015, what did the Juncker Commission achieve during its first year?

We use the internal market (single market) as a sample, when we test two potential sources of information.  

General report 2015

In order to find out, we can go to The EU in 2015 - General report on the activities of the European Union. The General report can be downloaded for free at the EU Bookshop in PDF or EPUB format. One of the best things about the General report is that it is published in the official EU languages.

The General report has been shrinking - losing text and exact references - while adding glossy features, such as pictures, graphic colour schemes and other brochure-like qualities, but it is still tolerably readable.    

Chapter 4 informs us about the Commission’s strategic aim: a deeper and fairer internal market with a strengthened industrial base (pages 36-42; with digital and network issues elsewhere).

The most important matters, such as the single market strategy and the capital markets union with its action plan, are mentioned briefly, with links to Commission press releases and informative web pages, but also multimedia trivia.

With the help of the links, the General report 2015 could still serve as an introduction to developments in the single market.

Swedish EU report   

In order to compare, we go to the annual report from the Swedish government to the parliament (Riksdag) about activities in the European Union:

Regeringens skrivelse 2015/16:115 Verksamheten i Europeiska unionen under 2015

Here we are interested mostly in part 7 about competitiveness (konkurrenskraftsfrågor) on pages 162-182 and part 8 about transport, telecommunications and energy on pages 183-195.

The style is sober, even austere, but it works well.

Not only does the report offer 336 pages of readable (black on white) and factual text,  without pictures or multimedia entertainment, but the government often refers to its running commentary: the memorandum (faktapromemoria) it wrote to the Riksdag about a new proposal or issue in the EU.

Here is an example.

Upgrading the Single Market

The first example of this kind of documentation comes on the initial page about the development of the internal market (p. 162), where the brief presentation of the new internal market strategy refers to a five page memorandum with a more detailed overview and the government’s preliminary view:

Regeringskansliet Faktapromemoria 2015/16:FPM17 Inremarknadsstrategin; Utrikesdepartementet 2015-12-02

The memorandum refers to the relevant EU document, here the communication (I choose the English version for your convenience):

Upgrading the Single Market: more opportunities for people and business; Brussels, 28.10.2015 COM(2015) 550 final (22 pages)

The cover of the communication tells us that it was accompanied by two staff working documents, easy enough to find through Eur-Lex once identified, both in English only, with the latter divided into three parts like ancient Gallia:

A Single Market Strategy for Europe - Analysis and Evidence; Brussels, 28.10.2015 SWD(2015) 202 final (108 pages)

Report on Single Market Integration and Competitiveness in the EU and its Member States; Brussels, 28.10.2015 SWD(2015) 203 final PART 1/3

 

Report on Single Market Integration and Competitiveness in the EU and its Member States; Brussels, 28.10.2015 SWD(2015) 203 final PART 2/3  

Report on Single Market Integration and Competitiveness in the EU and its Member States; Brussels, 28.10.2015 SWD(2015) 203 final PART 3/3   

Alternatively, the single market integration report is downloadable in one piece (112 pages) through this Commission web page.

[We notice that we once again have a report on single market integration (and competitiveness), but not as a part or pillar of the Annual Growth Survey, which kicks off the European Semester.]  

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I sometimes wonder who the presumed reader of the glossy General report is, but in practice it does serve the purpose of information search in 23 official EU languages (all except Gaelic).

Primarily, the Swedish annual EU report serves only some 20 million readers of the main Nordic languages, but I wanted to show an easily downloadable and directly readable alternative, reminiscent of the well documented and substantial EU General report a decade or so ago.  

How about the rest of the EU and EEA countries?

Do their governments or parliaments publish annual or thematic reports on developments in the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA)?

Ralf Grahn

EU humanitarian aid: ECHO Annual Report 2008

The European Commission has published the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid - (ECHO) Annual Report 2008 (Brussels, 1.7.2009 COM(2009) 290 final).



The Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO) is the service of the European Commission responsible for providing humanitarian assistance to the people affected by conflicts or disasters, both natural and man-made, in third countries.

The European Union is the largest single donor in operations providing assistance, relief and protection to populations in third countries affected by humanitarian crises. DG ECHO does not implement assistance programmes itself.

The 11 page report offers an overview of the humanitarian aid given by the European Union.

The report is accompanied by the document SEC(2009) 825, which has not been posted among the preparatory documents (SEC). I found neither the latest report nor the SEC document on ECHO’s web page for Annual reports. (Strangely, no SEC document has been posted under preparatory acts since 21 May 2009.)




Ralf Grahn

European Court of Auditors: Activity Report for 2008

Few areas cause as much heated discussion about the European Union as the use and misuse of funds. Basically the calls for accountability and transparency are sound, if some sort of proportions is maintained.

Article 246 of the Treaty on the establishment of the European Community (TEC) states that the Court of Auditors shall carry out the audit. Articles 247 to 248 TEC contain more detailed provisions.

This means ─ without restricting the materials to these ─ that a balanced discussion should take into account what the Court of Auditors has to say about the state of the European Union’s accounts of “all revenue and expenditure”.

Now there is a fresh opportunity to gain insight into the accounts of the European Union through the Annual Activity Report for 2008 of the European Court of Auditors, published today.



The 58 page Annual Report is a clear presentation of the financial management and the auditing activities within the European Union.


Ralf Grahn

European Ombudsman: Annual Report 2008

P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, the European Ombudsman, has published his Annual Report for 2008 (27 April 2009).



The full 100 page report is available in English, but summaries are on offer in the other official languages of the European Union.

This is how the report explains its own structure:

The structure of the new Report is designed to guide the reader logically from an explanation of the Ombudsman's mandate and procedures (Chapter 2), to concrete case-handling activity in 2008 (Chapter 3), outreach activities (Chapter 4) and internal developments concerning personnel and budget (Chapter 5). The Report begins, as before, with an introduction by the Ombudsman, followed by an Executive Summary (Chapter 1).


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European Ombudsman: Legal background

The core provision on the European Ombudsman is Article 195 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC):


Article 195 TEC

1. The European Parliament shall appoint an Ombudsman empowered to receive complaints from any citizen of the Union or any natural or legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the Community institutions or bodies, with the exception of the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance acting in their judicial role.

In accordance with his duties, the Ombudsman shall conduct inquiries for which he finds grounds, either on his own initiative or on the basis of complaints submitted to him direct or through a Member of the European Parliament, except where the alleged facts are or have been the subject of legal proceedings. Where the Ombudsman establishes an instance of maladministration, he shall refer the matter to the institution concerned, which shall have a period of three months in which to inform him of its views. The Ombudsman shall then forward a report to the European Parliament and the institution concerned. The person lodging the complaint shall be informed of the outcome of such inquiries.

The Ombudsman shall submit an annual report to the European Parliament on the outcome of his inquiries.

2. The Ombudsman shall be appointed after each election of the European Parliament for the duration of its term of office. The Ombudsman shall be eligible for reappointment.

The Ombudsman may be dismissed by the Court of Justice at the request of the European Parliament if he no longer fulfils the conditions required for the performance of his duties or if he is guilty of serious misconduct.

3. The Ombudsman shall be completely independent in the performance of his duties. In the performance of those duties he shall neither seek nor take instructions from any body. The Ombudsman may not, during his term of office, engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not.

4. The European Parliament shall, after seeking an opinion from the Commission and with the approval of the Council acting by a qualified majority, lay down the regulations and general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman's duties.


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Planning a complaint?

If you are planning a complaint to the European Ombudsman, you (or your advisor) would do well to read the Annual Report. It contains a lot of information about admissibility and the handling of inquiries.


Ralf Grahn

European Union: Activity reports 2008

The Commission of the European Communities and the Swedish government have published their annual reports on the activities of the European Union. They are important sources for journalists, researchers, teachers, students, businesses, politicians, public officials, NGOs and interested citizens.

Has the Swedish example caught on in other EU member states?

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COMMISSION

General Report

On 4 March 2009 the Commission published the General Report on the Activities of the European Union in 2008.

On the about 260 pages of its annual report the Commission describes the main developments during 2008 under seven Chapter headings:

General political and economic framework
Prosperity
Solidarity
Security and freedom
Europe in the world
Life of the institutions, other bodies and agencies
Budget and financial activities

The General Report is available at:
http://europa.eu/generalreport/en/rg2008en.pdf

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Useful

Published in 22 languages, the General Report is a useful tool to get an overview of developments within each policy area of the European Union. The references to sources are helpful in the search for documents.

The General Report is complemented by the monthly Bulletin (provisional and final).


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Treaty basis

The Commission is required to publish a number of (annual) reports, among which the General Report is the centerpiece, based on Article 212 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC); in the consolidated version of the treaties, OJEU 29.12.2006 C 321 E/139:


Article 212 TEC

The Commission shall publish annually, not later than one month before the opening of the session of the European Parliament, a general report on the activities of the Community.


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Lisbon Treaty

In the consolidated Treaty of Lisbon the corresponding provision is Article 249(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), published OJEU 9.5.2008 C 115/157.


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European Parliament

The General Report is addressed to the European Parliament, and Article 200 TEC concerns EP scrutiny (OJEU page 135):


Article 200 TEC

The European Parliament shall discuss in open session the annual general report submitted to it by the Commission.


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Lisbon Treaty

The corresponding provision in the consolidated Treaty of Lisbon is Article 233 TFEU (OJEU page 152).


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SWEDEN

The Swedish government publishes an annual report to the Parliament (Riksdagen) on activities in the European Union (as well as useful reports on the Council of Europe and the OSCE) .

For those who are able to read Swedish the latest EU report (Regeringens skrivelse 2008/09:85 Berättelse on verksamheten i Europeiska unionen) is a valuable resource.

Like the previous reports, the 2008 version published 5 March 2009 offers at least the quantity (374 pages) and quality of the Commission’s General Report.

The Swedish report is available at:

http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c6/12/25/08/6109a562.pdf


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Duty to publish


The Swedish government’s duty to publish the report is based on the Riksdag Act (1974:153, as amended on 1 July 2007):


Chapter 10. Conduct of European Union business
Government’s obligation to inform the Riksdag of EU work
Art. 1. In accordance with Chapter 10, Article 6 of the Instrument of Government, the Government shall keep the Riksdag continuously informed concerning developments within the framework of European Union cooperation.

The Government shall account to the Riksdag concerning its actions at the European Union and shall submit a written communication annually to the Riksdag reporting activities at the European Union.






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Other national reports?

Dear Reader, do you know how your government reports on EU activities to its parliament and citizens?



Ralf Grahn

European Union: Social developments

The Commission shall include a separate chapter on social developments within the European Community (European Union) in its annual report to the European Parliament.

The Treaty of Lisbon eliminates a part of the overlap in the formal reporting requirements.



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Article 145 TEC

The current Article 145 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC), as published in the latest consolidated version of the treaties, OJ 29.12.2006 C 321 E/111:

Article 145 TEC

The Commission shall include a separate chapter on social developments within the Community in its annual report to the European Parliament.

The European Parliament may invite the Commission to draw up reports on any particular problems concerning social conditions.

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Original Lisbon Treaty (ToL)

Article 2, point 120 of the original Treaty of Lisbon (ToL) amends Article 143 TEC and point 121 concerns the European Social Fund (OJ 17.12.2007 C 306/82).

This means that there are no specific amendments. The ‘Community’ is replaced by the ‘Union’ according to the horizontal amendment mentioned in point 2(a) on page 42.


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Renumbering ToL

The Table of equivalences of the original Treaty of Lisbon tells us that the social policy title was to be renumbered Title X. Article 145 TEC first became Article 145 TFEU (ToL), then to be renumbered Article 161 TFEU in the consolidated versions of the amending treaties (OJ 17.12.2007 C 306/216).


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Consolidated Lisbon Treaty

Following renumbering of Article and the horizontal amendment replacing ‘Community’ by ‘Union’, Article 161 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), appears as follows in the consolidated TFEU, published in the Official Journal of the European Union, OJ 9.5.2008 C 115/119:


(TITLE X
SOCIAL POLICY)

Article 161 TFEU
(ex Article 145 TEC)

The Commission shall include a separate chapter on social developments within the Union in its annual report to the European Parliament.

The European Parliament may invite the Commission to draw up reports on any particular problems concerning social conditions.


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European Union: Social situation report

According to Article 143 (ex Article 120) of the Treaty establishing the European Community (TEC) the Commission already has the obligation to produce an annual report on the achievement of the social policy objectives of the Community. To these is added the demographic situation of the Community.

The second paragraph entitles the European Parliament to request special reports on social questions.

The current Article 143 TEC, as published in the latest consolidated version of the treaties, OJ 29.12.2006 C 321 E/110:

Article 143 TEC

The Commission shall draw up a report each year on progress in achieving the objectives of Article 136, including the demographic situation in the Community. It shall forward the report to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee.

The European Parliament may invite the Commission to draw up reports on particular problems concerning the social situation.


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More reporting


Article 145 TEC (ex Article 122) adds the obligation to include a separate chapter on social developments in the Commission’s (general) annual report and mandates the European Parliament to ask for specific reports on social conditions, although the report based on Article 143 TEC (Article 159 TFEU) is addressed to the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee and the demographic situation is mentioned specifically.
.

The second paragraphs of Article 143 and Article 145 are almost identical.
The Lisbon Treaty eliminates the overlapping second paragraph of Article 143 TEC in what became Article 159 TFEU.

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The social situation in the European Union 2007

The latest report based on Article 143 TEC (Article 159 TFEU) is the following:
The Commission’s (Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities; Eurostat) annual social policy report called The Social Situation in the European Union 2007 – Social Cohesion through Equal Opportunities (published 2008; 199 pages):
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/spsi/docs/social_situation/ssr2007_en.pdf

For a quick take on the findings, you can read the press release issued when the report was published, 22 May 2008 (MEMO/08/326):

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/326

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General Report

The General Report on the Activities of the European Union is published annually to the European Parliament according to Article 212 TEC:

Article 212 TEC

The Commission shall publish annually, not later than one month before the opening of the session of the European Parliament, a general report on the activities of the Community.



The same obligation is found in Article 249(2) TFEU.

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The General Report on the Activities of the European Union 2007 can be found here:

http://europa.eu/generalreport/en/2007/index.htm

Chapter III Solidarity most closely resembles the requirements of Article 145 TEC, although the contents go beyond social policy. Here are links to its contents:

Chapter III - Solidarity
Section 1 - 3.1. Consolidating economic and social cohesion
Section 2 - 3.2. Solidarity with future generations and management of natural resources
Section 3 - 3.3. Promoting common values within the European Union

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European Parliament

According to Article 200 TEC the General Report is discussed by the European Parliament in plenary session:

Article 200 TEC

The European Parliament shall discuss in open session the annual general report submitted to it by the Commission.



Ralf Grahn