Compliance with EU law is not only the responsibility of the Member States but of the European Union institutions as well

The European Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) has voted on an opinion examining the quality of the application of EU law between 2016 and 2019. László Trócsányi, shadow rapporteur for the EPP Group emphasized that EU institutions have the obligation to comply with EU law, just like the Member States. He added Member States should be given sufficient time to apply EU law, and in the event of any disagreement, solutions based on dialogue should be preferred.

Fidesz MEP László Trócsányi welcomed the exchange of views on the application of EU law, as it is in clear interest of citizens and businesses that EU institutions should adopt standards that are as comprehensible, followable and enforceable as possible and well implemented by these institutions, Member States and stakeholders. In his previous speech, he pointed out that “the impression of EU law depends on the application of it, so it is important to monitor and improve the quality of legislative standards through ex ante and ex post assessments, and also following significant substantive changes to the drafts as well.”

Concerning the increase in the number of annual infringement proceedings since 2018, he stated, “sufficient time should be allowed for Member States to transpose and implement EU law, which could be a solution to this problem, it is also required by the principle of legal certainty”. There is a need to examine how to place greater emphasis on the requirement of the principle of clarity, to formulate legal standards in a comprehensible way so that citizens and businesses understand what standards to follow, and to reduce bureaucratic burdens for the business sector. To ensure proper application, it is important to support initiatives such as SOLVIT, through which citizens and businesses can find out about their rights and obligations under EU law.

László Trócsányi also suggested that a substantive, real debate on the practical application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality is necessary in the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe. He emphasized that the application of EU law is also an obligation of the European institutions, they must respect EU standards, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights was adopted partially for this purpose.

The Fidesz MEP regretted that some political groups have amended the text of the opinion with ideological statements, which should be a technical document of a legal nature in order to formulate solutions to problems in the application of EU law.