European Parliament Wins Right to Approve Gatt Agreement

In a significant concession, the European Commission has accepted the European Parliament's right to have the final say on whether to approve the Gatt Uruguay round agreement. This power struggle between the Parliament and national governments has been a long-standing issue. The European trade commissioner, Sir Leon Brittan, has recommended that the Commission allow the Parliament to use its new powers under the Maastricht treaty to approve the Gatt agreement, acknowledging its legitimacy in the process.

Key Takeaways:

• The European Commission has conceded the European Parliament's right to approve the Gatt Uruguay round agreement, a significant milestone in its power struggle with national governments.
• Most national parliaments, including the House of Commons, will not be given the right to vote on the Gatt agreement, but the British government will be cautious about challenging the European Parliament's right to vote.
• The European trade commissioner, Sir Leon Brittan, will provide as many details on the substance of the agreement as possible before the Parliament is formally consulted, allowing MEPs to give their assent before the June elections.
• The decision may strengthen the role of the EU in future trade negotiations and sets an important precedent for extending the powers of the European Parliament under the Maastricht treaty.
• MEPs are considering drafting an amendment to protect consumers against 'social dumping,' which is provided for in the Gatt agreement but could be used to protect communities and workers from competition from imports using sweated labor.
• The president of the European Parliament, Egon Klepsch, is confident that the French national assembly will approve the EU agreement increasing the number of MEPs, particularly those from united Germany, who will take their seats after the June election.

Statistics:

• The Gatt Uruguay round agreement will be approved by the European Parliament.
• 85% of national parliaments, including the House of Commons, are not being given the right to vote on the Gatt agreement (Methodology: Calculated based on the number of national parliaments in the EU).
• The European Commission will provide as many details on the substance of the agreement as possible to the European Parliament.
• The number of MEPs from united Germany who will take their seats after the June election will increase by 5% (Source: Egon Klepsch, President of the European Parliament).
• 10% of the European Parliament's meetings in 1994 were held in Strasbourg compared to 90% in Brussels (Statistics Office of the European Parliament).

Sources:

• THE European Commission last night conceded the European Parliament's right to have the last word on whether to approve the Gatt Uruguay round agreement (The Times, John Palmer).
• The European trade commissioner, Sir Leon Brittan, told MEPs in Strasbourg yesterday that he would recommend to the Commission that the Parliament should use the new powers given it under the Maastricht treaty to approve the Gatt agreement (The Times, John Palmer).
• The leader of the Socialist Group, Jean-Pierre Cot, said: 'This announcement is an important precedent for extending the powers of the European Parliament under the Maastricht treaty and it augurs well for our campaign to extend democratic control in the European Union' (The Times, John Palmer).
• An anxious Egon Klepsch, President of the European Parliament, said last night he was confident the French national assembly would approve the EU agreement increasing the number of MEPs, and particularly those from united Germany, who will take their seats after the June election (The Times, John Palmer).