EUROPEAN COMMISSION: COUNCIL AGREEMENT IN SIGHT ON EXECUTIVE AGENCIES.

• Position: Brief Article

An agreement is taking shape within the Council on the amended proposal for a Regulation concerning the statutes of executive agencies charged with certain tasks regarding the management of Community programmes in place of the technical assistance offices (see European Report 2649 for further details). Germany and Sweden are nevertheless maintaining a general reserve within the Committee of Member States' Permanent Representatives to the EU, whilst Luxembourg is challenging the location of the agencies which it argues should not all be based in Brussels. The legal basis being Article 308, unanimity is required.A compromise has meanwhile emerged within the Council's Budgetary Committee on the principal elements of the proposal. The delegations agree there should be no scope for the externalisation of missions allocated by the Treaty to institutions and providing for the exercise of some measure of latitude in implementing political choices. The delegations also confirm that as an institution responsible for the execution of the...