The composition of the newly elected European parliament speaks volumes about the priorities that citizens believe the EU should set. There is a clear sense of urgency for more and better jobs, and a healthy economy capable of returning to growth. My impression is that what might be perceived as an anti-European sentiment is in fact a desire to push for an employment and economic development agenda. I expect the parliament will be determined to push this agenda through - and rightly so. However, setting the right policy priorities for the next five years is only one side of the story: the key is to ensure that they are delivered, and this means that the legislative machine needs to run promptly and well. In other words, the council and the parliament need to speak to one another. It may not be front page news, but it will determine the ability of the EU to provide citizens with swift and adequate policy measures.
In practice, this means that the co-legislators need to better understand each other's roles, working patterns, and internal dynamics. Over the past few years and following the entry into force of the Lisbon treaty, the parliament's powers have grown considerably - now covering more than 80 per cent of policy areas. It took some time for the council to readjust, and it has not quite managed to entirely. This issue is high on the agenda of the Italian presidency. We have agreed with the parliament that its top level representatives will be regular guests, on a monthly basis, at coreper lunches. This will allow both institutions to keep up-to-date on each other's priorities, while enhancing both dialogue and cooperation between their steering bodies. As president of Coreper, I am happy to have established a practice that will hopefully be picked up by the presidencies following ours.
"Rotating presidencies can play an important role by encouraging exchanges of information at the highest political level"
Rotating presidencies can play an important role by encouraging exchanges of information at the highest political level. During the Italian semester, ministers will visit the European parliament to present the Italian priorities in their respective policy areas, on an intense schedule at the end of July and at the beginning of September. Twice a year, these visits provide an important window of dialogue between the council and the parliament. Innovation in our working patterns can be costly, in terms of adjustment efforts and the engagement of human resources. However, I am sure that the vast majority of newly elected MEPs will see that strengthened cooperation not only guarantees constructive negotiations, but also goes in the direction of a healthy triangle between the co-legislators and the European commission.
On top of appointing the new president of the commission, taking into account the results of the European elections, the council for the first time has defined a set of strategic orientations for the work of the next commission. The main political groups have also contributed to the agenda of the next five years with detailed programmes. These initiatives point to a greater engagement of the co-legislators in the decision making process; but they also make cooperation all the more important, and that is why in the new legislature we should strive to make it the norm and not the exception.