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Maastricht Treaty TITLE III

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HEAD-EMU

 

TITLE III

PROVISIONS AMENDING THE TREATY ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL

COMMUNITY

 

ARTICLE H

The Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community shall be amended

in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

 

1) Article 7 shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 7

The institutions of the Community shall be:

– a HIGH AUTHORITY (hereinafter referred to as “the Commission”);

– a COMMON ASSEMBLY (hereinafter referred to as “the European Parliament”);

– a SPECIAL COUNCIL OF MINISTERS (hereinafter referred to as “the Council”);

– a COURT OF JUSTICE;

– a COURT OF AUDITORS.

The Commission shall be assisted by a Consultative Committee.”

 

2) The following Articles shall be inserted:

“ARTICLE 9

1. The Commission shall consist of seventeen members, who shall be chosen on

the grounds of their general competence and whose independence is beyond

doubt.

The number of members of the Commission may be altered by the Council, acting

unanimously.

Only nationals of the Member States may be members of the Commission.

The commission must include at least one national of each of the Member

States, but may not include more than two members having the nationality of

the same State.

2. The members of the Commission shall, in the general interest of the

Community, be completely independent in the performance of their duties.

In the performance of these duties, they shall neither seek nor take

instructions from any government or from any other body., They shall refrain

from any action incompatible with their duties. Each Member State undertakes

to respect this principle and not to seek to influence the members of the

Commission in the performance of their tasks.

The members of the Commission may not, during their term of office, engage in

any other occupation whether gainful or not. When entering upon their duties

they shall give a solemn undertaking that, both during and after their term of

office, they will respect the obligations arising therefrom and in particular

their duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance,

after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits. In

the event of any breach of these obligations, the Court of Justice may, on

application by the Council or the Commission, rule that the member concerned

be, according to the circumstances, either compulsorily retired in accordance

with Article 12a or deprived of his right to a pension or other benefits in

its stead.

ARTICLE 10

1. The members of the Commission shall be appointed in accordance with the

procedure referred to in paragraph 2, for a period of five years, subject, if

need be, to Article 24.

Their term of office shall be renewable.

2. The governments of the Member States shall nominate by common accord, after

consulting the European Parliament, the person they intend to appoint as

President of the Commission.

The governments of the Members States shall, in consultation with the nominee

for the President, nominate the other persons whom they intend to appoint as

members of the Commission.

The President and the other members of the Commission thus nominated shall be

subject as a body to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. After

approval by the European Parliament, the President and the other members of

the Commission shall be appointed by common accord of the Member States.

3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be applied for the first time to the President and

the other members of the Commission whose term of office begins on 7 January

1995.

The President and the other members of the Commission whose term of office

beings on 7 January 1993 shall be appointed by common accord of the

governments of the Member States. Their term of office shall expire on 6

January 1995.

ARTICLE 11

The Commission may appoint a Vice-President or two Vice-Presidents from among

its members.

ARTICLE 12

Apart from normal replacement, or death, the duties of a member of the

Commission shall end when he resigns or is compulsorily retired.

The vacancy thus caused shall be filled for the remainder of the members term

of office by a new member appointed by common accord of the governments of the

Member States. The Council may, acting unanimously, decide that such a vacancy

need not be filled.

In the event of resignation, compulsory retirement or death, the President

shall be replaced for the remainder of his term of office. The procedure laid

down in Article 10(2) shall be applicable for the replacement of the

President.

Save in the case of compulsory retirement under Article 12a, members of the

Commission shall remain in office until they have been replaced.

ARTICLE 12a

If any member of the Commission no longer fulfils the conditions required for

the performance of his duties or if he has been guilty of serious misconduct,

the Court of Justice may, on application by the Council or the Commission,

compulsorily retire him.

ARTICLE 13

The Commission shall act by a majority of the number of members provided for

in Article 9.

A meeting of the Commission shall be valid only if the number of members laid

down in its rules of procedure is present.”

 

3) Article 16 shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 16

The Commission shall make all appropriate administrative arrangements for the

operation of its departments.

It may set up study committees, including an economic study committee.

The Council and the Commission shall consult each other and shall settle by

common accord their methods of cooperation.

The Commission shall adopt its rules of procedure so as to ensure that both it

and its departments operate in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty.

It shall ensure that these rules are published.”

 

4) The following article shall be inserted:

“ARTICLE 17

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.”

 

5) The following subparagraph shall be added to Article 18:

“The Council shall, acting by a qualified majority, determine any payment to

be made instead of remuneration.”

 

6) The following Articles shall be inserted:

“ARTICLE 20a

The European Parliament may, acting by a majority of its members, request the

Commission to submit any appropriate proposal on matters which it considers

that a Community act is required for the purpose of implementing this Treaty.

ARTICLE 20b

In the course of its duties, the European Parliament may, at the request of a

quarter of its members, set up a temporary Committee of Inquiry to

investigate, without prejudice to the powers conferred by this Treaty on other

institutions or bodies, alleged contraventions or maladministration in the

implementation of Community law, except where the alleged facts are being

examined before a Court and while the case is still subject to legal

proceedings.

The temporary Committee of Inquiry shall cease to exist on the submission of

its report.

The detailed provisions governing the exercise of the right of inquiry shall

be determined by common accord of the European Parliament, the Council, and

the Commission.

ARTICLE 20c

Any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or having

its registered office in a Member State, shall have the right to address,

individually or in association with other citizens or persons, a petition to

the European Parliament on a matter which comes within the Community’s field’s

of activity and which affects him, her or it directly.

ARTICLE 20d

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 enquiries 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.”

 

7) Paragraph 3 of Article 21 shall be replaced by the following:

“3. The European Parliament shall draw up proposals for elections by direct

universal suffrage in accordance with a uniform procedure in all Member

States.

The Council shall, acting unanimously after obtaining the assent of the

European Parliament, which shall act by a majority of its component members,

lay down the appropriate provisions, which it shall recommend to Member States

for adoption in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.”

 

8) Article 24 shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 24

The European Parliament shall discuss in open session the general report

submitted to it by the Commission.

If a motion of censure on the activities of the Commission is tabled before

it, the European Parliament shall not vote thereon until at least three days

after the motion has been tabled and only by open vote.

If a motion of censure is carried by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast,

representing a majority of the members or the European Parliament, the members

of the Commission shall resign as a body. They shall continue to deal with

current business until they are replaced in accordance with Article 10. In

this case, the term of office the members of the Commission appointed to

replace them shall expire on the date on which the term of office of the

members of the Commission obliged to resign as a body would have expired.”

 

9) The following Articles shall be inserted:

“ARTICLE 27

The Council shall consist of a representative of each Member State at a

ministerial level, authorized to commit the government of that Member State.

The office of President shall be held in turn by each Member State in the

Council for a term of six months, in the following order of Member States:

– for a first cycle of six years: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain,

France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom;

– for the following cycle of six years: Denmark, Belgium, Greece, Germany,

France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, United Kingdom,

Portugal.

ARTICLE 27a

The Council shall meet when convened by its President on his own initiative or

at the request of one of its members or of the Commission.”

 

10) The following Article shall be inserted:

“ARTICLE 29

The Council shall, acting by a qualified majority, determine the salaries,

allowances and pensions of the President and members of the Commission, and of

the President, Judges, Advocates-General and Registrar of the Court of

Justice. It shall also, again by a qualified majority, determine any payment

to be made instead of remuneration,

ARTICLE 30

1. A committee consisting of the Permanent Representatives of the Member

States shall be responsible for preparing the work of the Council and for

carrying out the tasks assigned to it by the Council.

2. The Council shall be assisted by a General Secretariat, under the direction

of a Secretary General. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the

Council acting unanimously.

The Council shall decide on the organization of the General Secretariat.

3. The Council shall adopt its rules of procedure.”

 

11) Article 32 shall be replaced by the following;

“ARTICLE 32

The Court of Justice shall consist of thirteen Judges.

The Court of Justice shall sit in plenary session. It may, however, form

Chambers, each consisting of three or five Judges, either to undertake certain

preparatory inquiries, or to adjudicate on particular categories of cases in

accordance with the rules laid down for these purposes.

The Court of Justice shall sit in plenary session when a Member State or a

Community institution that is a party to the proceedings so requests.

Should the Court of Justice so request, the Council may, acting unanimously,

increase the number of Judges and make the necessary adjustments to the second

and third paragraphs of this Article and to the second paragraph of Article

32b.”

 

12) Article 32d shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 32d

1. A Court of First Instance shall be attached to the Court of Justice with

jurisdiction to hear and determine at first instance, subject to a right of

appeal to the Court of Justice on points of law only and in accordance with

the conditions laid down by the Statute, certain classes of action or

proceeding defined in accordance with the conditions laid down by the Statute,

certain classes of action or proceeding defined in accordance with the

conditions laid down in paragraph 2. The Court of First Instance shall not be

competent to hear and determine questions referred for a preliminary ruling

under Article 41.

2. At the request of the Court of Justice and after consulting the European

Parliament and the Commission, the Council, acting unanimously, shall

determine the classes of action or proceeding referred to in paragraph 1, and

the composition of the Court of First instance and shall adopt the necessary

adjustments and additional provisions to the Statute of the Court of Justice.

Unless the Council decides otherwise, the provisions of this Treaty relating

to the Court of Justice, in particular the provisions of the Protocol on the

Statute of the Court of Justice, shall apply to the Court of the First

Instance.

3. The members of the Court of First instance shall be chosen from persons

whose independence is beyond doubt and who possess the ability required for

appointment to judicial office; they shall be appointed by common accord of

the governments of the Member States for a term of six years. The membership

shall be partially renewed every three years. Retiring members shall be

eligible for re-appointment.

4. The Court of First Instance shall establish its rules of procedure in

agreement with the Court of Justice. Those rules shall require the unanimous

approval of the Council.”

 

13) Article 33 shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 33

The Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction in actions brought by a Member

State or by the Council to have decisions or recommenda tions of the Commission

declared void on grounds of lack of competence, infringement of an essential

procedural requirement, infringement of this Treaty or of any rule of law

relating to its application, or misuse of powers. The Court of Justice may

not, however, examine the evaluation of the situation, resulting from economic

facts or circumstances, in the light of which the Commission took its

decisions or made its recommendations, save where the Commission is alleged to

have misused its powers or to have manifestly failed to observe the provisions

of the Treaty or any rule of law relating to its application.

Undertakings or associations referred to in Article 48 may, under the same

conditions, institute proceedings against decisions or recommendations

concerning them which are individual in charac ter or against general decisions

or recommendations which they consider to involve a misuse of powers affecting

them.

The proceedings provided for in the first two paragraphs of the Article shall

be instituted within one month of the notification or publication, as the case

may be, of the decision or recommendation.

The Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction under the same conditions in

actions brought by the European Parliament for the purpose of protecting its

prerogatives.”

 

14) The following chapter shall be inserted:

“CHAPTER V

THE COURT OF AUDITORS

ARTICLE 45a

The Court of Auditors shall carry out the audit.

ARTICLE 45b

1. The Court of Auditors shall consist of twelve members.

2. The members of the Court of Auditors shall be chosen from among persons who

belong or have belonged in their respective countries to external audit bodies

or who are especially qualified for this office. Their independence must be

beyond doubt.

3. The members of the Court of Auditors shall be appointed for a term of six

years by the Council, acting unanimously after consulting the European

Parliament.

However, when the first appointments are made, four members of the Court of

Auditors, chosen by lot, shall be appointed for a term of office of four years

only.

The members of the Court of Auditors shall be eligible for reappointment.

They shall elect the President of the Court of Auditors from among their

number for a term of three years. The President may be re-elected.

4. The members of the Court of Auditors shall, in the general interest of the

Community, be completely independent in the performance of their duties.

In the performance of theses duties, they shall neither seek nor take

instructions from any government or from any other body. They shall refrain

from any action incompatible with their duties.

5. The members of the Court of Auditors may not, during their term of office,

engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not. When entering upon

their duties they shall give a solemn undertaking that, both during and after

their term of office, they will respect the obligations arising therefrom and

in particular their duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards

the acceptance, after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments

or benefits.

6. Apart from normal replacement, or death, the duties of a member of the

Court of Auditors shall end when he resigns, or is compulsorily retired by a

ruling of the Court of Justice pursuant to paragraph 7.

The vacancy thus caused shall be filled for the remainder of the member’s term

of office.

Save in the case of compulsory retirement, members of the Court of Auditors

shall remain in office until they have been re placed.

7. A member of the Court of Auditors may be deprived of his office or of his

right to a pension or other benefits in its stead only if the Court of

Justice, at the request of the Court of Auditors, finds that he no longer

fulfills the requisite condi tions or meets the obligations arising from his

office.

8. The Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall determine the conditions

of employment of the President and the members of the Court of Auditors and in

particular their salaries, allowances and pensions. It shall also, by the same

majority, determine any payment to be made instead of remuneration.

9. The provisions of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the

European Communities applicable to the Judges of the Court of Justice shall

also apply to the members of the Court of Auditors.

ARTICLE 45c

1. The Court of Auditors shall examine the accounts of all revenue and

expenditure of the Community. It shall also examine the accounts of all

revenue and expenditure of all bodies set up by the Community in so far as the

relevant constituent instrument does not preclude such examination.

The Court of Auditors shall provide the European Parliament and the Council

with a statement of assurance as to the reliability of the accounts and the

legality and regularity of the underlying transactions.

2. The Court of Auditors shall examine whether all revenue referred to in

paragraph 1 has been received and all expenditure referred to in that

paragraph has been incurred in a lawful and regular manner and whether the

financial management has been sound.

The audit of expenditure shall be carried out on the basis both of commitments

undertaken and payments made.

These audits may be carried out before the closure of accounts for the

financial year in question.

3. The audit shall be based on records and, if necessary, performed on the

spot in the other institutions of the Community and in the Member States. In

the Member States the audit shall be carried out in liaison with the national

audit bodies or, if these do not have the necessary powers, with the competent

national departments. Theses bodies or departments shall inform the Court of

Auditors whether they intend to take part in the audit.

The other institutions of the Community and the national audit bodies or, if

these do not have the necessary powers, the competent national departments,

shall forward to the Court of Auditors, at its request, any document or

information necessary to carry out its task.

4. The Court of Auditors shall draw up an annual report after the close of

each financial year. It shall be forwarded to the other institutions of the

Community and shall be published, together with the replies of these

institutions to the observations of the Court of Auditors, in the Official

Journal of the European Communities.

The Court of Auditors may also, at any time, submit observations, particularly

in the form of special reports, on specific questions and deliver opinions at

the request of one of the other institu tions of the Community,

It shall adopt its annual reports, special reports or opinions by a majority

of its members.

It shall assist the Europe and Parliament and the Council in exercising their

powers of control over the implementation of the budget.

5. The Court of Auditors shall also draw up a separate annual report stating

whether the accounting other than that for the expenditure and revenue

referred to in paragraph 1 and the financial management by the Commission

relating thereto have been effected in a regular manner. It shall draw up this

report within six months of the end of the financial year to which the

accounts refer and shall submit it to the Commission and the Council. The

Commission shall forward it to the European Parliament.”

 

15) Article 78c shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 78c

The Commission shall implement the administrative budget, in accordance with

the provisions of the regulations made pursuant to Article 78h, on its own

responsibility and within the limits of the appropriations, having regard to

the principles of sound financial management.

The regulations shall lay down detailed rules for each institution concerning

its part in effecting its own expenditure.

Within the administrative budget, the Commission may, subject to the limits

and conditions laid down in the regulations made pursuant to Article 78h,

transfer appropriations from one chapter to another or from one subdivision to

another.”

 

16) Articles 78e and 78f shall be repealed.

 

17) Article 78g shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 78g

1. The European Parliament, acting on a recommendation from the Council, which

shall act by a qualified majority, shall give a discharge to the Commission in

respect of the implementation of the administrative budget. To this end, the

Council and the European Parliament in turn shall examine the account and the

financial statement referred to in Article 78d, the annual report by the Court

of Auditors together with the replies of the institutions under audit to the

observations of the Court of Auditors, and any relevant special reports by the

Court of Auditors.

2. Before giving a discharge to the Commission, or for any other purpose in

connection with the exercise of its powers over the implementation of the

administrative budget, the European Parliament may ask to hear the Commission

give evidence with regard to the execution of expenditure or the operation of

financial control systems. The Commission shall submit any necessary

information to the European Parliament at the latter’s request.

3. The Commission shall take all appropriate steps to act on the observations

in the decisions giving discharge on other observations by the European

Parliament relating to the execution of expenditure, as well as on comments

accompanying the recommendations on discharge adopted by the Council.

At the request of the European Parliament or Council, the Commission shall

report on the measures taken in the light of these observations and comments

and in particular on the instructions given to the departments which are

responsible for the implementation of the administrative budget. These reports

shall also be forwarded to the Court of Auditors.”

 

18) Article 78h shall be replaced by the following:

“ARTICLE 78h

The Council, acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission and after

consulting the European Parliament and obtaining the opinion of the Court of

Auditors, shall:

a) make Financial Regulations specifying in particular the procedure to be

adopted for establishing the implementing the administrative budget and for

presenting and auditing accounts;

b) determine the methods and procedure whereby the budget revenue provided

under the arrangements relating to the Communities’ own resources shall be

made available to the Commission, and determine the measures to be applied, if

need be, to meet cash requirements;

c) lay down rules concerning the responsibility of financial controllers,

authorizing officers and accounting officers, and concerning appropriate

arrangements for inspection.”

 

19) The following Article shall be inserted:

“ARTICLE 78i

Member States shall take the same measures to counter fraud affecting the

financial interests of the Community as they take to counter fraud affecting

their own financial interests.

Without prejudice to other provisions of this Treaty, Member States shall co-

ordinate their action aimed at protecting the financial interests of the

Community against fraud. To this end they shall organize, with the help of the

Commission, close and regular co-operation between the competent departments

of their administrations.”

 

20) Article 79(a) shall be replaced by the following:

“(a) This Treaty shall not apply to the Faroe Islands.”

 

21) Articles 96 and 98 shall be repealed.