Application of the Treaty provisions related to the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality and the role of national parliaments in the EU legislative process
TA-10-2025-0309 · P10_TA(2025)0309 · PE768.159
- Adopted in plenary on · Adopted 337–245–12 · See the decision →
- Full procedure 2025/2042
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Parliament's resolution on subsidiarity and proportionality reaffirms these principles and calls for stronger involvement of national parliaments in EU law-making.¶¶¶ It urges the Commission to improve impact assessments, justify legal bases, and engage national parliaments earlier, including via a single subsidiarity hub.¶¶¶ It proposes extending deadlines for reasoned opinions, creating a green card, and strengthening the role of regional parliaments.¶¶ It calls for better judicial enforcement by the CJEU and for closing loopholes in legislative transparency.¶¶¶
Key points
- Reaffirms the fundamental importance of subsidiarity and proportionality for the EU's legal and institutional framework.¶
- Calls on the Commission to revise the legal basis of the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 instrument, which uses Article 122 TFEU.¶
- Demands rigorous ex ante impact assessments and justification for harmonisation, and regrets that the subsidiarity grid is not yet used.¶
- Urges the Commission to conduct more systematic subsidiarity analysis and provide detailed justifications in each proposal.¶
- Calls for extending the deadline for yellow card procedures to 12 weeks and creating a 'green card' with lower thresholds.¶
- Encourages national parliaments to include reasoned opinions from regional parliaments with legislative powers.¶
- Stresses the CJEU's crucial role but notes its reluctance to enforce subsidiarity, and calls for impact assessments without exception.¶¶¶
- Proposes opening a discussion on creating a 'subsidiarity court' for future Treaty revision.¶
- Demands closing loopholes for greater transparency in legislative preparation, including earlier engagement with national parliaments.¶
- Endorses the Draghi report's conclusion to focus EU action where it has greater added value and adopt self-restraint in policymaking.¶
- Suggests using artificial intelligence to find legal inconsistencies or disproportionate effects in legislation.¶
- Commits to using the right of initiative under Article 225 TFEU to propose repealing legislation to reduce regulatory burden.¶
Who is affected
- National parliaments: encouraged to enhance scrutiny and use yellow/orange cards; may get extended deadlines and a green card.¶¶
- Regional parliaments with legislative powers: their reasoned opinions should be included by national parliaments; right to be informed suggested.¶
- Municipalities: need sufficient financial resources to implement EU law, especially in remote areas.¶
- Commission: must improve impact assessments, engage earlier with national parliaments, and consider subsidiarity more rigorously.¶¶¶
- CJEU: urged to enforce subsidiarity more robustly and consider Member State particularities.¶¶¶