Documenten - Think Tank - Europees Parlement

Briefing - Roadmap for women's rights: Next steps for EU action on gender equality - 20-03-2025

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

On 7 March 2025, the European Commission published a roadmap for women's rights, to reaffirm the EU's commitment to gender equality, speed up progress in this area, and counteract political movements that contest EU gender equality policies. The roadmap outlines the challenges and benefits of gender equality today, emphasising its political and economic importance. In an annex, a declaration of eight principles for a gender-equal society, inspired by and phrased in the language of human rights, takes a women's rights-centric approach. The roadmap expresses the Commission's commitment to women's rights and invites other EU institutions to adhere to it. The roadmap will serve to guide future EU action and particularly for the new gender equality strategy from 2026, as well as EU external action. To a significant extent, the objectives outlined in the declaration are covered already by EU legislation or non-legislative measures, depending on the extent of the EU's own competences. Since, in some areas, the EU only has limited competences to support and coordinate the action of Member States (such as on health and education), the roadmap emphasises the importance of involving the Member States. �Ϸ��վ held a first debate in plenary on the roadmap on 11 March. In various previous resolutions, the �Ϸ��վ has expressed support for women's rights and has called on the EU to act against any regression and contestation of gender equality both internally and externally. Various civil society organisations have welcomed the Commission's initiative and called for a recognition of sexual and reproductive rights, as well as an emphasis on intersectional discrimination and vulnerable women, such as disabled women or women with children. The roadmap addresses sexual and reproductive rights, but more as a health issue than a women's rights issue, probably taking into account the EU's limited competences in the area.

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Briefing - Understanding EU action on Roma inclusion - 19-03-2025

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:32:03 GMT

The Roma are Europe's largest ethnic minority. Out of an estimated total of 10-12 million Roma in Europe as a whole, some 6 million live in the European Union (EU) and most of them are citizens of an EU Member State. A significant number of Roma people live in very poor socio-economic conditions. The social exclusion, discrimination and segregation they face are mutually reinforcing. Their restricted access to education and difficulties entering the labour market result in low income and poor health compared with non-Roma people. Since the mid-1990s, the EU has been stressing the need for better Roma inclusion. In 2011, a key EU initiative was launched with the adoption of an EU framework for national Roma integration strategies up to 2020. The aim was to tackle the socio-economic exclusion of and discrimination against the Roma. When the framework came to an end, in early October 2020 the European Commission adopted a new strategy for 2021 to 2030. In March 2021, the Council adopted a recommendation on Roma equality, inclusion and participation, encouraging Member States to adopt strategic frameworks for the inclusion of Roma communities. The European Council conclusions on measures to ensure equal access for Roma to adequate and desegregated housing, and to address segregated settlements, adopted on 9 October 2023, are another key follow-up to the 2020-2030 EU Roma strategy. The EU also supports Member States in their duty to improve the lives of all vulnerable people, including the Roma, through the EU structural and investment funds and other funding instruments. Issues relating to the promotion of democratic values and practices, as well as economic, social and cultural rights for Roma people have received particular attention from civil society organisations. �Ϸ��վ has been advocating for Roma inclusion since the 1990s. This is an update of a briefing published in April 2024.

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Briefing - Conscription as an element in European Union preparedness - 19-03-2025

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Once considered an issue of the past, conscription has increasingly made its way back onto European, EU and global policy agendas in recent years, mainly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As EU defence policy has steadily progressed, with new procurement initiatives and defence industry reinforcement, a parallel discussion on the EU's armed forces is evolving in the context of the EU's common security and defence policy (CSDP). Europe's civilian and military preparedness and readiness has also come under the spotlight recently, as highlighted by the report presented in October 2024 by former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. Opinion polls in some Member States also show growing support for the reintroduction of national service or conscription. Mounting threats to European security, fears of transatlantic disengagement, as well as the position of the new United States administration and potential peace plans for Ukraine involving the presence of European troops, has raised awareness of the need to ready Member States' armed forces for the most extreme military contingencies. The conscription landscape across the EU is diverse. National defence is primarily carried out by professional armed forces, but conscription is becoming increasingly relevant. Some EU countries retained conscription practices beyond the end of the Cold War, while others reintroduced conscription modalities following Russia's 2022 invasion. Peacetime conscription policies differ among Member States in, among other things, the number of conscripts, the length of service, the level of compensation provided, and the size of the reserve forces. The Niinistö report underscored the potential importance of conscription in developing a holistic 'total defence' concept that connects military and civil defence, while promoting a 'whole-of-society' approach to crisis response and preparedness. It also proposes increasing structured exchanges between Member States to identify national service and conscription model best practices, potentially facilitated by the EU. Some experts have highlighted the benefits of implementing conscription, while others are sceptical of poorly trained and ill-equipped conscript armies. �Ϸ��վ has repeatedly underlined the limited number of personnel devoted to CSDP missions and operations, highlighting issues related to force generation.

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Briefing - Stock-taking of the 2024 European �Ϸ��վ Elections - 13-03-2025

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

In the 2024 European �Ϸ��վ elections turnout varied significantly across EU Member States, influenced by institutional factors such as compulsory voting and concurrent elections. Socioeconomic disparities persisted; older, higher-educated, and wealthier citizens were more likely to vote, while economically disadvantaged and unemployed individuals participated less. Gender and age gaps in turnout reaffirmed the importance of role models and political efficacy in mobilization. Vote choice reflected both ideological convictions and protest voting, with established pro-EU parties retaining support while Euroskeptic and far-right parties made gains. The elections confirmed the enduring importance of economic redistribution, European integration, and climate policy as key axes of political contestation. While high-quality representation fosters legitimacy and political engagement, turnout and ideological representation disparities highlight ongoing challenges for democratic inclusivity in the EU. Key recommendations for higher quality of representation include: (1) strengthening political efficacy among women; (2) encouraging youth political engagement; (3) balancing age representation in politics; (4) simplifying electoral processes; (5) strengthening social safety nets to sustain political engagement; (6) addressing political disengagement stemming from economic dissatisfaction; (7) enhancing representation for disadvantaged groups; (8) considering candidate age in party strategies; (9) bridging climate policy divides; and (10) leveraging EU defense cooperation for political consensus.

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Briefing - Stock-taking of the European Elections 2024 - 13-03-2025

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The European Electoral Act decrees that the Members of the European �Ϸ��վ shall be elected on the basis of proportional representation, using the list system or the single transferable vote. There is much leeway for a Member State to turn terms like “proportional representation” or “the list system” into executable rules. As a result, Member States differ considerably as to their electoral provisions. The briefing presents an overview of the vote patterns used by the Member States, of the apportionment methods to convert the votes of a domestic electorate into seats for the competing parties, and of the ways in which the seats of a party are assigned to this party's candidates.

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Briefing - Women in local and regional government: Trends, challenges and best practices - 06-03-2025

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 15:34:32 GMT

This briefing analyses the participation of women in local and regional government from a multilevel governance perspective. It seeks to present the current state of affairs and identify best practice and ideas for the future on the part of governmental organisations at all levels of the European system of multilevel governance.

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Kort overzicht - Establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova - 06-03-2025

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:28:59 GMT

The Regulation establishing the Reform and Growth Facility for the Republic of Moldova will provide the country with financing worth almost €1.9 billion for the 2025-2027 period. The Facility aims to invest in Moldova, accelerate its socio-economic reforms, strengthen its resilience, and advance its EU integration. �Ϸ��վ is scheduled to vote on the agreed text, resulting from interinstitutional negotiations, during its March 2025 plenary session.

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Kort overzicht - A just transition and reconstruction in Syria - 06-03-2025

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:19:00 GMT

After the fall of the Assad regime, the European Union (EU) is ready to support the Syrian people through the process of transition and reconstruction, including by suspending certain restrictive measures. The Council and the Commission are due to give statements on the issue during �Ϸ��վ's March plenary session.

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Kort overzicht - Current membership of the European Council - 05-03-2025

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The European Council consists of the 27 Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States, who are voting members, together with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, who have no vote (Article 15(2) Treaty on European Union). The chart shows the current members, the national office they hold, their most recent European political affiliation, and the year their membership began.

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Briefing - Violence and organised crime in the EU - 26-02-2025

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The use of violence by criminals involved in organised crime is increasing in the European Union (EU), in terms of frequency, severity, visibility and impact. Most violence is concentrated in and around major transit points and transportation hubs used for smuggling goods, particularly drugs. At the same time, firearms are a key enabler of the increasing violence perpetrated by organised crime groups. Increased competition between rival criminal groups has led to a spillover of violence onto the streets, endangering and sometimes even harming innocent bystanders. This increases the threat to and impact on citizens' lives and society as whole. A particularly worrying phenomenon is the recruitment of minors into serious and organised crime and terrorism. Minors are increasingly used by criminal networks as a tactic to avoid detection, capture or prosecution. Even though Europe is still one of the continents least affected by organised crime, criminal networks are expected to increase their global reach, become more fluid and digitalised, and thus more open to diversity and competition. This may, in turn, lead to even more organised crime-related violence. The EU recognises the severity of the problem and the need for coordinated action to tackle this growing threat to security and prosperity. It has already initiated several measures to encourage closer cooperation between Member States and with international partners, as well as having adopted common legal, judicial and investigative frameworks to address organised crime in general and the related violence in particular.

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Briefing - Public hearing with Dominique Laboureix, Single Resolution Board Chair - 3 March 2025 - 26-02-2025

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

This briefing has been prepared for the public hearing with the Chair of the Single Resolution Board (SRB), Dominique Laboureix on 3 March 2025. This briefing addresses: • A critical review of the SRB’s 2025 Work Programme • Regular reporting on MREL (Q3 2024) • Updated Operational Guidance on OCIR • Consultations and Requests to Industry for 2025 • Single Resolution Fund (SRF) continues to be at the target level • Gauging the impact of the CMDI reform.

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Briefing - Japan's �Ϸ��վ and other political institutions - 20-02-2025

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Japan is a constitutional monarchy, with a parliamentary system of government based on the separation of powers. The Emperor is the symbol of the state and does not hold political functions, only performing ceremonial duties. Nevertheless, he can play an important diplomatic role. With Emperor Naruhito's enthronement in 2019, following his father's abdication, Japan has entered the Reiwa (beautiful harmony) era. The 2001 administrative reform strengthened the Prime Minister's leadership in the cabinet. The Chief Cabinet Secretary also plays an important relevant role. Ishiba Shigeru, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, has been the country's Prime Minister since September 2024. The Supreme Court is at the top of the judicial system. It is not a constitutional court, despite handling appeals arising from actual disputes. The appointment of its Justices is reviewed by the people at the first general election of the Lower House following their appointment. Japan is a unitary state divided into 47 prefectures. A Metropolitan Government administers the capital, Tokyo. Japan's 1947 Constitution recognises 'local self-government.' Local governments carry out many of the national policies and programmes. They have limited autonomy, also because of their dependence on financial resources from the central government. Japan has a bicameral parliament − the Diet. Although the two chambers share legislative powers, the Lower House (House of Representatives) prevails in the legislative process and is empowered to adopt the final decision on the budget and on the approval of international treaties. Changes in the regional geopolitical environment and in the country's demographic structure have prompted debates on issues such as the revision of the 'pacifist' Article 9 of the Constitution and the distribution of seats among electoral constituencies. This is an update of a briefing published in December 2020.

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Kort overzicht - Fact-checking and content moderation - 17-02-2025

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Fact-checking of content on online platforms has so far played an important role in protecting democracy, by verifying statements and making sure trustworthy sources are used. Many social media platforms use fact-checkers to help them enforce content moderation policies, with the aim of protecting their users from harm. The EU's Digital Services Act – a binding legal instrument – strengthens content moderation obligations for online platforms, while the voluntary EU Code of Practice on Disinformation encourages signatories to use fact-checking services consistently. However, some major platforms have recently challenged this approach.

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Briefing - India's �Ϸ��վ and other political institutions - 13-02-2025

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

India is a pluralistic, multi-faith, multilingual (with 22 recognised languages), and multi-ethnic country. In April 2023 it overtook China as the world's most populous country (it had a population of 1.44 billion in 2024). India's 1950 Constitution provides for a quasi-federal set-up, with powers separated between the central union and the 28 state governments. Competences are distributed by administrative level – between the Union (the Centre), the states, or 'concurrently'. The Prime Minister possesses the country's effective executive power. As 'Leader of the House' in the lower chamber, the Prime Minister also holds decisive power in deciding the House's agenda. However, the real power of initiating legislation belongs to the government, and the �Ϸ��վ has no say on foreign affairs. India's �Ϸ��վ is bicameral: it includes the Lok Sabha – the lower house – and the Rajya Sabha – the upper house. The two houses are equal, but the Lok Sabha dominates in deciding certain financial matters and on the collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers. General elections take place for Lok Sabha members every five years. The last elections took place in April-May 2024, when Narendra Modi obtained his third mandate as Prime Minister. The Rajva Sabha is a permanent body consisting of members indirectly elected by the states, and it is not subject to dissolution. India has a common law legal system. The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal, headed by the Chief Justice of India. It arbitrates on any dispute between the Union and the states, as well as between states, and on the enforcement of fundamental rights. It has powers of judicial review over legislation adopted by both the Union and the states. This is an update of a briefing published in March 2020.

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Briefing - Community sponsorship schemes under the new pact on migration and asylum: A common EU approach? - 13-02-2025

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The number of people in the world who have been forcibly displaced inside or outside their home country has risen significantly in recent years, as reflected in the unprecedented numbers of refugees and irregular migrants arriving in the EU since 2015. This highlights an urgent need to ensure organised, legal and safe pathways to protect migrants who embark on dangerous journeys and attempt to enter countries of destination irregularly, or find themselves in protracted refugee situations. A potential solution is the community sponsorship scheme, understood as encompassing several different approaches for refugee admission to third countries other than countries of origin or transit. The concept includes a shared responsibility between civil society and the state when engaging in refugee admission efforts, by providing financial, emotional, social and/or settlement support to help newly arrived refugees integrate in a third country. Community sponsorship for integration is particularly important in the EU, where local and national governments, alongside civil society, have been pondering how best to support newcomers and ease integration and social cohesion. Since 2015, the concept has been piloted and launched in several EU countries, including through the active input of regions and cities. The pact on migration and asylum, which entered into force in June 2024, affirmed the EU's commitment to supporting national sponsorship schemes and expressed its desire to do more to promote an EU approach to community sponsorship, building on the experience of Member States.

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Kort overzicht - Council Decision (EU) 2018/994 modifying the 1976 European Electoral Act: Ratification status - 12-02-2025

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Council Decision (EU) 2018/994, amending the 1976 European Electoral act is not yet in force. According to Article 223 TFEU, �Ϸ��վ has the exclusive right to propose amendments to the electoral rules, while the Council adopts them unanimously after �Ϸ��վ's consent. Moreover, Member States must approve those adopted rules in accordance with their constitutional requirements. However, not all Member States have ratified the Council's 2018 decision.

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Briefing - Time to lift the international sanctions on Syria? - 11-02-2025

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:44:54 GMT

Since the unexpected overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in early December 2024, Syria has embarked on an uncertain trajectory. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the armed jihadi group leading the offensive against the Assad forces, has now taken charge of the country and set up a caretaker government. Scepticism abounds in international circles about HTS owing to the group's terrorist credentials and Salafist ideology. However, the new Syrian authorities have declared plans to establish a political transition inclusive of all minorities and segments of Syrian society, as well as increased engagement with neighbouring countries and other foreign players, offering the international community some reassurance. One of the main demands in the current context from all sides, within Syria as well as from other states and organisations, has been to lift the complex web of international economic, financial and trade sanctions against the country. Most of these sanctions were imposed after Assad's brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011. Moreover, calls have been made to remove the designations of HTS and its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa from the international terrorist lists. Such steps are believed to be essential in addressing the significant economic and humanitarian challenges facing the country after nearly 14 years of civil war. The United States (US) imposes the most comprehensive sanctions on Syria, including secondary sanctions on foreign governments, non-US individuals and entities doing business with the Syrian government and sanctioned entities in Syria. The European Union (EU) has also imposed restrictive measures on certain Syrian economic sectors, along with asset freezes and travel bans on individuals or entities supporting the Assad regime. In January 2025, the US granted short-term waivers relating to the provision of basic services in response to requests for sanctions relief for Syria. Similarly, the EU Member States reached a political agreement to suspend certain restrictions gradually and conditionally. The UN Security Council has the authority to remove the terrorist designations of HTS and its leader from the ISIL (Da'esh)/Al-Qaida list.

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Briefing - Russia's war on Ukraine: Forcibly displaced Ukrainian children - 11-02-2025

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The invasion of Ukraine enters its 4th year in 2025, resulting in further displacement. On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights. The pair are accused of the 'war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation'. According to the ICC, there are reasonable grounds to believe that President Putin 'committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others', or that he failed to properly control 'civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts, or allowed for their commission, and who were under his effective authority and control, pursuant to superior responsibility'. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, evidence has been collected about core international crimes committed against Ukrainian children. Multiple reports consider Russia to be in breach of the obligations set in several international treaties and instruments to which Russia is party, and of customary international law. It is well documented that, since the start of the invasion, certain categories of individuals, including women and children, have been disproportionately affected by the conflict. International organisations, institutional actors and civil society organisations have repeatedly warned about the great burden on children, including but not limited to trafficking, sexual exploitation, abduction and illegal adoption. Beyond the strictly legal consequences of the arrest warrant, some commentators argue that the arrest warrant against Putin may help to undermine the Russian leader's war efforts, as the international community universally sees the abduction of children as unacceptable. No matter what the geopolitical arguments are, removing children from their families or from care facilities and forcibly transferring them is universally considered a reprehensible act of violence. This is an update of a 2023 publication written by Micaela Del Monte with Nefeli Barlaoura.

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Kort overzicht - Women's rights: What is at stake? - 11-02-2025

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Thirty years ago, the international community adopted the Beijing Declaration and its accompanying Platform for Action – a broad and ambitious global agenda for action with women's rights at its core. Since then, women's rights have enjoyed increased recognition, but also faced strong contestation. The EU remains a strong defender of women's rights. To guide its action, the Commission is soon to propose a roadmap on women's rights in the EU, while the European �Ϸ��վ has called for an EU charter on women's rights.

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Kort overzicht - Wider comprehensive EU Middle East strategy - 05-02-2025

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:31:39 GMT

In her political guidelines for 2024 to 2029, the President of the European Commission announced the need for a wider comprehensive EU Middle East strategy. The Council and the Commission are due to give statements on the issue during �Ϸ��վ's February plenary session.

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Briefing - Understanding EU counter-terrorism policy - 05-02-2025

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Faced with a persistent terrorist threat, the European Union (EU) is playing an increasingly ambitious role in counter-terrorism. While primary responsibility for combating crime and ensuring security lies with the Member States, the EU provides cooperation, coordination and (to some extent) harmonisation, as well as financial support, to address this borderless phenomenon. Moreover, awareness of the connection between development and stability, as well as between internal and external security, has come to shape EU action beyond Union borders. EU spending on counter-terrorism has increased over the years, to allow for better cooperation between national law enforcement authorities and enhanced support by the EU bodies in charge of security and justice, such as Europol, eu-LISA and Eurojust. The many new rules and instruments that have been adopted in recent years focus, among other things, on harmonising definitions of terrorist offences and sanctions, sharing information and data, protecting borders, countering terrorist financing and regulating firearms. However, implementing and evaluating the various measures is a challenging task. �Ϸ��վ has played an active role not only in shaping legislation, but also in evaluating existing tools and gaps through the work accomplished by its Special Committee on Terrorism (TERR) in 2018. In line with the �Ϸ��վ's recommendations, as well as the priorities set by the European Commission and its counter-terrorism agenda presented in December 2020, EU counter-terrorism action has focused on doing more to anticipate threats, counter radicalisation, and reduce vulnerabilities by making critical infrastructures more resilient and improving the protection of public spaces. The EU will also continue to address the online dimension of various forms of extremism, in line with the regulations on dissemination of terrorist content online and on the provision of digital services in the EU. This briefing updates an earlier one, entitled Understanding EU counter-terrorism policy, published in 2023.

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Briefing - The right to petition the European �Ϸ��վ - 03-02-2025

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 09:36:01 GMT

The right to petition the European �Ϸ��վ was formally set out in the Maastricht Treaty as one of the rights of European Union citizenship. �Ϸ��վ's predecessors, from the beginnings of the Communities in the 1950s, had already recognised the importance of receiving petitions from citizens, and this has become a major expression of �Ϸ��վ's role as the direct representative of EU citizens. �Ϸ��վ's practice is based on those of national parliaments, but is often more extensive in terms of scope. The right of petition has developed substantially over time. In particular, petitions addressed to the European �Ϸ��վ's Committee on Petitions (PETI committee) and then transferred to the European Commission can potentially lead to infringement procedures against Member States. There are, however, still some problems regarding exercise of the right of petition – particularly concerning the responsiveness of the Commission and how to involve national parliaments more effectively. The PETI committee plays a key role in the election of the European Ombudsman, as it is responsible for organising the hearings of the nominees. The committee attaches paramount importance to the examination and public discussion of petitions at its meetings and petitioners have the right to present their petitions. They frequently take the floor in the discussion, thereby actively contributing to the work of the committee. In this way, efficient communication takes place between �Ϸ��վ, the Commission and citizens. This briefing modifies and further develops a briefing published in 2015.

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Kort overzicht - Current Membership of the European Council - 03-02-2025

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Briefing - EU digital travel application - 30-01-2025

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMT

This briefing provides an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's impact assessment (IA) accompanying the proposal to establish an application for the electronic submission of travel data ('EU digital travel application') and amending Regulations (EU) 2016/399, (EU) 2018/1726 and (EC) No 2252/2004 as regards the use of digital travel credentials, and the proposal on the issuance of and technical standards for digital travel credentials based on identity cards. The proposals were referred to the European �Ϸ��վ's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).

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Briefing - �Ϸ��վ's right of legislative initiative - 23-01-2025

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 23:00:00 GMT

The European Commission has a near monopoly on legislative initiative in the European Union (EU), with special initiative rights for other institutions applying only in certain specific cases. However, the European �Ϸ��վ and the Council may invite the Commission to submit legislative proposals. While this 'indirect' initiative right does not create an obligation on the Commission to propose the legislation requested, the Treaty of Lisbon codified the Commission's obligation to provide reasons for any refusal to follow a parliamentary initiative. Against this backdrop, some argue that �Ϸ��վ could take the Commission to the Court of Justice of the EU if it fails to justify a negative decision. Others see �Ϸ��վ's increasing participation in overall political planning – particularly through negotiations on the Commission's annual work programme (CWP) – as a further channel for �Ϸ��վ to increase its influence on EU legislation. It is thus argued that the increased role of �Ϸ��վ in the legislative procedure should have reduced the need for its Members to make use of legislative initiatives. Notwithstanding that, there is a trend towards greater use of formal parliamentary legislative initiatives to assert greater influence on the political process. In her inaugural address in July 2019 and in her political guidelines, the then newly elected President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, pledged to strengthen the partnership with the European �Ϸ��վ, inter alia, by responding with a proposal for a legislative act whenever �Ϸ��վ, acting by a majority of its Members, adopts a resolution requesting that the Commission submit legislative proposals. She added that this commitment would have to fully respect the proportionality, subsidiarity and better law-making principles. President von der Leyen also said that she supported moves towards recognising a right for �Ϸ��վ of legislative initiative. A similar commitment to strengthen cooperation with �Ϸ��վ on the exercise of �Ϸ��վ's indirect right of legislative initiative was expressed by Ursula von der Leyen in her 2024-2029 political guidelines. This briefing is an update of a 2013 briefing by Eva-Maria Poptcheva, and a 2020 briefing by Silvia Kotanidis.

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