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31 May 2016
EUROPEAN DEBATES AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE SEJM
On 20 May 2016 the Sejm heard the information of the Prime Minister on the European Commission's communication on the situation in Poland and held the debate (verbatim record/PL point 28).
On 20 May 2016 the Sejm also adopted the resolution on the protection of the sovereignty of the Republic of Poland and the rights of its citizens.
EU DOCUMENTS IN THE SEJM
In May 2016 the EU Affairs Committee (SUE) held 7 meetings: no. 50-56. During these meetings the Committee:
  • scrutinised 57 EU documents:
    • pursuant to Art. 7(4) of the Cooperation Act – 2 EU draft legislative acts concerning amendment to the Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of income tax information by certain undertakings and branches, and amendment to the Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement (Ukraine)
    • pursuant to Art. 151(1) of the Sejm Standing Orders and Art. 3(2) of the Cooperation Act – 20 documents (12 communications, 5 reports, 2 join reports and 1 join communication) concerning i.a. EU strategy for liquefied natural gas and gas storage, information systems for borders management and security assurance or reform of the common European asylum system
    • pursuant to Art. 11(1) of the Cooperation Act – EU documents, which were to be discussed by Agriculture and Fisheries Council, Justice and Home Affairs Council, Competitiveness Council, Economic and Financial Affairs Council, Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council,
    • pursuant to Art. 8(2) of the Cooperation Act – 20 EU draft legal acts concerning i.a. conclusion of the agreements by EU on the short-stay visa waiver, global market-based measure addressing emissions from international aviation or position to be taken on behalf of the EU in respect of the decisions to be adopted by Eurocontrol's Permanent Commission,
  • adopted positive opinion on the declaration "Europe of solidary states" Security, borders, renewed institutions (opinion nr 8, mtg no. 50). The Declaration was submitted to the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments in Luxembourg, 22-24.05.2016,
  • held the first reading of Deputies' draft resolution on the obligation of the Council of Ministers to represent Sejm's position on the revision of Directive 91/477/EEC (paper no. 204, mtg no. 53).

SUE together with Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and Health Committee

  • heard information on EC priorities in the area of health and food safety. Vytenis Andriukaitis, the Commissioner for health and food safety, took part in the meeting (mtg no. 51).

SUE together with Digitalisation, Innovation and New Technologies Committee

  • heard information of EC Vice-President, the Commissioner for digital single market Andrus Ansip, on the state of play of the digital single market (mtg no. 52).
WORK IN COMMITTEES
Petitions Committee
  • 12.05.2016, considered the petition for the adoption by the Sejm of a resolution on the Poland's complaints to the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice for infringement of the rights of Polish families by the Federal Republic of Germany, no. BKSP-145-58/16 (mtg no. 21);

Agriculture and Rural Development Committee

  • 19.05.2016, heard the information of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Minister of Economic Development on TIPP and CETA agreements and their impact on agriculture and agri-food industry (mtg no. 41);
  • 19.05.2016, considered the information on the production, protection and promotion of food under the provisions of Regulation of the EP and of the Council (EU) No. 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011 (mtg no. 43).
IMPLEMENTATION OF EU LAW - UST DATABASE
 In May 2016
  • the following bills implementing EU law have been referred to the first reading [paper no.]:
    • Government bill amending the act on copyright and related rights [546],
    • Government bill amending the act - Customs Law and some other acts [513],
    • Government bill amending the act on road transport [459],
  • the following acts implementing EU law have been adopted [paper no.]:
    • Act of 20 May 2016 on energy efficiency [426],
    • Act of 20 May 2016 on the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services [408],
    • Act of 20 May 2016 amending the act on public blood service and some other acts [294],
    • Act of 20 May 2016 on the Bank Guarantee Fund, the deposit guarantee scheme and forced restructuring [215],
    • Act of 13 May 2016 amending the act – Labour Code and some other acts [382],
    • Act of 13 May 2016 amending the act – Public procurement law and some other acts [366],
    • Act of 13 May 2016 amending the act on public roads and the act on toll motorways and the National Road Fund [190],
  • the following acts implementing EU law have been published [paper no.]:
    • Act of 29 April 2016 amending the act on the promotion of employment and labour market institutions, act on National Labour Inspectorate and act on implementing some European Union provisions on equal treatment [431],
    • Act of 13 April 2016 on safety of trade of explosives precursors [217],
    • Act of 26 February 2016 amending the act on investment funds and some other acts [69],[70].
SUBSIDIARITY CHECK IN NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS

Subsidiarity scrutiny in May
(Information from IPEX database as of 06.06.2016)

Draft legislative act Deadline for subsidiarity scrutiny Adoption / transmission of reasoned opinion Chamber / parliament (country)
COM(2016) 113 02.05.2016  - -
COM(2016) 106 10.05.2016  -  -
COM(2016) 107 10.05.2016  - -
COM(2016) 128 * 10.05.2016 20.04.2016 / - National Assembly (Bulgaria)
05.05.2016 / 06.05.2016 Sabor (Croatia)
- / 06.05.2016 Folketing (Denmark)
10.05.2016 / 10.05.2016 Riigikogu (Estonia)
10.05.2016 / 10.05.2016 National Assembly (Hungary)
05.05.2016 / 09.05.2016 Saeima (Latvia)
03.05.2016 / - Seimas (Lithuania)
29.04.2016 / 05.05.2016 Senate (Poland)
03.05.2016 / 04.05.20106 Senate (Romania)
10.05.2016 / - National Council (Slovakia)
COM(2016) 157 17.05.2016  -  -
COM(2016) 082 18.05.2016  - -
COM(2016) 159 18.05.2016  - -
COM(2016) 202 9.06.2016 - -
COM(2016) 198 15.06.2016 - -
COM(2016) 194 28.06.2016 - -
COM(2016) 248 12.07.2016 - -
COM(2016) 273 19.07.2016 - -
COM(2016) 285 25.07.2016 - -
COM(2016) 287 26.07.2016 - -
COM(2016) 289 26.07.2016 - -
ALL REASONED OPINIONS OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS IN IPEX

In May 2016, 15 draft legislative acts were subject to subsidiarity scrutiny. As of 6 June 2016, the national parliaments submitted 9 reasoned opinions on the non-compliance of the scrutinised draft acts with the subsidiarity principle.

* In April 2016 the reasoned opinions were submitted to the document COM(2016) 128 (see the previous Biuletyn OIDE – April 2016). According to the data uploaded by the national parliaments to IPEX database, 14 parliaments / chambers, representing, in the light of the Protocol no. 2, a total of 22 votes, sent reasoned opinions on COM (2016) 128. Parliaments have reached thereby threshold required to launch the yellow card procedure (in this case 19 votes).

INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION

28-29 May 2016, Tangier (Morocco), Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly – Union for the Mediterranean (PA-UfM)
- Meeting of committees
- Meeting of the Bureau and the enlarged Bureau (chairpersons of the committees and working groups)
- Plenary session and debate (presentation of the UfM activities, presentation and approval of the Recommendations PA UfM committees, Declaration of the Third Summit of Presidents of the PA-UfM, transfer of the presidency of the PA UfM)

28 May 2016, Tangier (Morocco), Summit of Presidents of the Union for the Mediterranean Parliaments
- Together for a common future of the Euro-Mediterranean (addresses, exchange of views, adoption of the Declaration of the Third Summit of Presidents)
- Closing remarks

22-24 May 2016, Luxembourg, Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments
- Meeting of the Troika (Italy, Luxembourg, Slovakia and European Parliament)
- Opening of the meeting
- Welcome speech by H. E. Mr Mars Di Bartolomeo, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
- Adoption of the agenda
- Session I: Managing the Migration Flows, debate
- Session II: Strengthening the European Union, debate
- Session III: The Role of National Parliaments and Interparliamentary Cooperation, debate
- Session IV: Ensuring the Security of Citizens while Respecting Fundamental Freedoms, debate
- Discussion and adoption of the conclusions of the Presidency

22-23 May 2016 Riga, Meeting of the Presidents of the EU Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
- Exchange of views on the draft agenda of the upcoming COSAC Plenary meeting
- Migration issues: relocation and readmission, best practice on border controls
- Strategic communication regarding Russia's information war
- Update on the situation in Ukraine
- Discussion on the Nord Stream II project and its impact

RECENT PUBLICATIONS
New books in the Sejm Library Przegląd Sejmowy Kronika Sejmowa (EN)

NEW ON THE OIDE WEBSITE

Following sections have been updated

Resolutions of the Sejm on EU Affairs: Resolutions of the Sejm - 8th term

Debates of the Sejm on EU Affairs: Debates of the Sejm - 8th term

Subsidiarity scrutiny: Yellow card procedure - COM(2016) 128 - third yellow card submitted to the European Commission by national parliaments

OIDE NotesEuropean Semester - course of coordination cycle at the level of the Union and Poland (2011-2016)

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LATEST DEBATES - COMMENTS

Selected articles on the current political and economic issues in the EU from the specialist periodicals available on-line (accessed 07.06.2016)

 BREXIT

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EU CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES

Selected articles and papers
(available in the Sejm Library or on-line, accessed 07.06.2016)