UK Government’s renegotiation of EU membership: Parliamentary Sovereignty and Scrutiny

The United Kingdom House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee published a report on the 15 December 2015 called 'UK Government’s renegotiation of EU membership: Parliamentary Sovereignty and Scrutiny'.

The MPs on the Committee warned that UK voters in the forthcoming EU referendum must be aware that legally binding and irreversible change to the EU required Treaty amendment.

The Committee warned that a key measure of the success of the Government’s negotiation would be whether political commitments could be made secure and considered the extent to which promises or guarantees of change would be robust and meaningful. It noted that the Government envisaged immediate delivery of some of the negotiation outcomes through international agreement, but warned that such agreements were restricted to supplementing or interpreting existing EU treaties; they could not substantively alter them.

The Committee considered that the Government’s approach to allowing Parliamentary debate during the renegotiation had been 'reactive and opaque'.

The Committee’s Report set out:

+ the Government’s engagement with Parliament and others;
+ the extent to which a legally binding and irreversible change can be brought about without Treaty change;
+ the legal significance of the concept of 'ever closer union'
+ the relationship between Eurozone and non-Eurozone countries;
+ the reforms to competitiveness sought by the Prime Minister;
+ and the measures proposed to reduce net migration.

• Primary Source

UK: Parliament: Parliamentary Business: Committees: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee: News, 15.12.15: MPs warn that voters must know EU changes will require Treaty amendment http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/european-scrutiny-committee/news-parliament-20151/eu-renegotiation-report-published-15-16/

BBC News, 15.12.15: EU referendum: Reforms need treaty change, MPs say http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35098433

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

UK: Parliament: Parliamentary Business: Committees: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee: Letter from Minister for Europe responding to the Committee's fourteenth report, 01.02.16 http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/european-scrutiny/letter-govt-response.pdf

United Kingdom: House of Commons: European Scrutiny Committee: European Scrutiny - First Special Report UK Government's renegotation of EU membership: Parliamentary Sovereignty and Scrutiny: UK Government Response, February 2016 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmeuleg/807/80704.htm

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