Considerations on COM(2019)354 - Governance framework for the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness for the euro area

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dossier COM(2019)354 - Governance framework for the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness for the euro area.
document COM(2019)354 EN
date July 24, 2019
 
(1)The coordination of the economic policies of the Member States is a matter of common concern. The Member States whose currency is the euro have a particular interest in and a responsibility to conduct economic policies that promote the proper functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union and to avoid policies that jeopardise it in the context of broad guidelines formulated by the Council.

(2)In order to ensure the proper functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union, Member States whose currency is the euro should take measures to enhance the resilience of their economies through targeted structural reforms and investment. The Euro Summit of December 2018 mandated the Eurogroup to work on the design, modalities of implementation and timing of a budgetary instrument for competitiveness and convergence for the euro area. To ensure that Member States carry out structural reforms and investment in a consistent, coherent and well-coordinated manner, it is necessary to establish a governance framework to enable the Council to provide strategic orientations on reform and investment priorities to be undertaken within the euro area by the Member States. Such a framework would enhance convergence and competitiveness of the euro area. The Council should also provide country-specific guidance on individual reforms and investment objectives of the Member States whose currency is the euro, which can be supported by the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness. Since such a framework is specific to the Member States whose currency is the euro, only members of the Council representing those Member States should take part in votes under this Regulation.

(3)At the Union level, the European Semester of economic policy coordination is the framework for the identification of national reform priorities of the Member States and for the monitoring of the implementation of those priorities. This Regulation addresses the need to establish coherence between the reform and investment priorities for the euro area as a whole and the reform and investment objectives of the individual Member States whose currency is the euro, and to ensure their consistency with the European Semester.

(4)On an annual basis, the Council should set out strategic orientations on the reform and investment priorities for the euro area, as part of the recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area. The strategic orientations should be adopted by the Council acting by qualified majority on a recommendation from the Commission, and after the Eurogroup has discussed the reforms and investment priorities that it considers relevant and appropriate for inclusion therein. The annual Euro Summit will play its role.

(5)To ensure that strategic orientations reflect the evolving experience of the implementation of the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness, the Commission should, alongside its recommendation on the strategic orientations, as part of its recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area, inform the Council of how the strategic orientations have been followed during the preceding years.

(6)The Member States whose currency is the euro can decide to submit proposals for reform and investment packages under the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness. To that end, the Council will adopt a Recommendation providing country-specific guidance on the objectives of reforms and investment that can be supported under the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness in Member States whose currency is the euro. This Council Recommendation should be consistent with the strategic orientations adopted under this Regulation, and with the country-specific recommendations that are adopted, in parallel, under the European Semester of economic policy coordination further to discussions, where appropriate, within the relevant Treaty-based committees. The Council Recommendation shall also duly take into account any macroeconomic adjustment programme approved in accordance with the relevant provisions of Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council 9 .

(7)The Council Recommendation providing country-specific guidance on the objectives of reforms and investment in Member States whose currency is the euro, adopted by qualified majority, should be based on a Commission recommendation. This process should be without prejudice to the voluntary nature of participation of Member States whose currency is the euro in the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness, and without prejudice to the Commission’s prerogatives as regards its implementation.

(8)Within the governance framework set out in this Regulation, the Council should set out the strategic orientations for the euro area as a whole and provide country-specific guidance on the objectives of reform and investment packages of the individual Member States whose currency is the euro. The Commission implements the Union’s budget under Article 317 TFEU, which includes the management of spending programmes. The Commission responsibilities with regard to the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness [within the Reform Support Programme] under Regulation (EU) XXXX/XX should not be affected.

(9)On the basis of an assessment by the Commission, the Council, shall establish which Member States are experiencing a severe economic downturn for the purpose of a modulation of national co-financing rates provided for in Regulation (EU) XXXX/XX [Reform Support Programme Regulation], and without prejudice to the application of Article 2(2) of Council Regulation (EC) 1467/97 as amended.

(10)In order to enhance the dialogue between the Union institutions, in particular between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, and to ensure greater transparency and accountability in that economic dialogue, the competent committee of the European Parliament can invite the President of the Council, the Commission and, where appropriate, the President of the Eurogroup to appear before the committee to discuss the measures taken pursuant to this Regulation.

(11)The Commission should report to the European Parliament and the Council, at regular intervals, on the effectiveness of this Regulation.

(12)Since the objective of this Regulation to contribute to the proper functioning of Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union and to the convergence and competitiveness within the euro area by setting out a governance framework for the budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale of action, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on the European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective,