MEPs vote for Parliament to sue Commission over €150bn defence scheme
The European Parliament's legal affairs (JURI) committee on Tuesday recommended that the institution takes the Commission to court for bypassing MEPs to set up a €150 billion loan programme to boost defence spending across the bloc.
The motion was approved in a secret vote with 20 out of 23 votes in favour.
Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, now has to decide whether to follow JURI's recommendation.
Euronews has contacted Metsola's cabinet for comment.
Metsola had in early May warned her counterpart in the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, that a lawsuit could be pending if the EU executive didn't amend the legal basis it used to set up the SAFE programme
The Commission has invoked Article 122 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) to set up SAFE which allows member states to directly approve a Commission proposal "if severe difficulties arise in the supply of certain products" or if a member state is "seriously threatened with severe difficulties caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrences beyond its control".
Despite the threat, the Commission stuck to its argument and member states approved the SAFE regulation later that same month.
A spokesperson for the Commission reiterated in a statement to Euronews that it stands firm in its belief that it has chosen the right legal basis because "Europe faces an unprecedented security threat".
"The Commission will always be available to explain why Article 122 TFEU has been chosen as the appropriate legal basis," Thomas Regnier added
Under the programme, the Commission will raise up to €150 billion on the market to then loan the money to member states for defence investments. It is a key plank of the Commission's 'Readiness 2030' proposal that aims to see hundreds of billions of euros invested into defence across the EU before the end of the decade, when some intelligence agencies believe Russia could be in a position to attack a European country.
In her letter to von der Leyen, Metsola had stressed that "the European Parliament is not questioning the merits of this proposal for a regulation," but is instead "deeply concerned" that its adoption without a proper legal basis would be "putting at risk democratic legitimacy by undermining Parliament's legislative and scrutiny functions".
Article 122 was previously used by the Commission to react swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic and to speed up the permits for renewable energy during the height of the energy crisis.
To access SAFE, member states now have to work on and submit plans detailing their projects. To be successful, they need to submit projects involving at least two member states (or a qualifying third county), while a European preference whereby two-thirds of the value of the project must be manufactured in Europe also applies.
Funding for SAFE is expected to start in early 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
16 minutes ago
- France 24
Record crowds expected at Budapest Pride march in defiance of Orban's ban
A record number of people are expected to attend Saturday's Pride march in the Hungarian capital Budapest, defying a ban that marks an unprecedented regression of LGBTQ rights in the European Union. Prime Minister Viktor Orban 's ruling coalition amended laws and the constitution earlier this year to prohibit the annual celebration, justifying his years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights on "child protection" grounds. While Orban has been emboldened by the anti-diversity offensive of US President Donald Trump, his own initiatives have drawn protests at home and condemnation from the EU and rights groups. The nationalist leader on Friday said that while police would not "break up" the 30th edition of the Pride march, those who took part should be aware of "legal consequences". Despite the risk of a fine, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) near Budapest's city hall, an hour before the march begins. Ministers from several EU countries, and dozens of European lawmakers are expected to attend in defiance of the ban, reminiscent of that in Moscow in 2006 and Istanbul in 2015. "We're not just standing up for ourselves... If this law isn't overturned, eastern Europe could face a wave of similar measures," Pride organiser Viktoria Radvanyi said. Freshly installed cameras Earlier this week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called on the Hungarian authorities to reverse the ban. Thirty-three countries have also spoken up in support of the march. While parade organisers risk up to a year in prison, attendees can face fines up to 500 euros ($580). The latest legal changes empower the authorities to use facial-recognition technology to identify those who take part. Freshly installed cameras have appeared on lamp posts along the planned route of the march. However, opposition Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony has insisted that no attendee can face any reprisals as the march -- co-organised by the city hall this time -- is a municipal event and does not require police approval. "The police have only one task tomorrow, and it is a serious one: to ensure the safety of Hungarian and European citizens attending the event," Karacsony said during a briefing with visiting EU equalities commissioner Hadja Lahbib. Far-right groups have announced multiple counterprotests along the planned route of the procession. Justice Minister Bence Tuzson this week sent a letter to EU embassies cautioning diplomats and staff against participating because of the police ban.
Local France
35 minutes ago
- Local France
French senator accused of spiking colleague's drink sent for trial
Two investigating magistrates sent Senator Joel Guerriau for trial for the alleged November 2023 incident, said the source, confirming a report by France 2's Complement d'enquete, an investigative television programme. The judges' report, seen by AFP, says Guerriau, 67, is suspected of having spiked a glass of champagne with ecstasy that his colleague Sandrine Josso, now 49, was drinking. His intention, they alleged, was to rape or sexually assault her. Guerriau will also be tried for possession of drugs. "Joel Guerriau contests the allegations against him," said his lawyers, Henri Carpentier and Marie Roumiantseva. The truth will come in court "far from the caricatures and rumours put about until now", they added. "Mr Guerriau does not fear the truth: he desires it." Josso's lawyer Arnaud Godefroy said she was relieved at the decision, "which reflects the seriousness of her complaint". France's Horizons party, led by former prime minister Edouard Philippe, suspended Guerriau in November 2023 after he was formally charged with drugging Josso as part of a plot to carry out a sexual assault. Guerriau has denied any intention to sexually assault the lawmaker and has rejected the accusation that he deliberately drugged her, describing it as a "handling error". Advertisement The allegations against the senator come months after Frenchman Dominique Pelicot was jailed for 20 years for repeatedly drugging his wife so he and strangers could rape her. The shocking case, involving scores of men, received international coverage after his former wife, Gisele Pelicot, waived her right to anonymity and insisted on a public trial. Earlier this month, the French Senate passed a bill to include lack of consent in the country's criminal definition of rape, paving the way for its official adoption as law. Consent-based rape laws already exist in several European countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
A placated Trump and an EU-Canada love fest
The leaders of the NATO countries met in The Hague for their annual summit. In view of the latent Russian threat, they agreed on a drastic increase in collective defense spending. But it was also about satisfying the unpredictable man in the White House. Does this solve all the problems now? For decades, Europe has been the most loyal ally of the United States. That's what most political and military leaders on both sides of the Atlantic understood Europe's role on the world stage to be. That today is insufficient, as US president Trump treats his faithful allies as if they were devious freeloaders. That's why the prospect of being abandoned by the US produces existential angst among Europeans. Who would lead the western defense in case of a Russian attack? In The Hague, European NATO allies agreed to invest more in the defense of their own continent: the target is now 5% of GDP over the next few years. Is this realistic for everyone? Is it enough? Does it come with a new strategic role for Europe? And most important: will it placate Washington in the years to come? Questions our guests discussed this week: Kathleen Van Brempt, a Belgian member of the European Parliament from the Social Democrats, Matthew Robinson, director of the Euro-Gulf Information Centre, and Karel Lannoo, chief executive of the Centre for European Policy Studies. The NATO summit was overshadowed by the Middle East conflict. After all, the largest and most important member of the alliance became a party to the war there. The US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities came in support of Israel and ultimately brought about a ceasefire - but this was broken just hours later. Does diplomacy still have a real chance after all? The problem: there are still too few answers to too many questions. Is Trump's decision like kicking a hornet's nest? What real damage have the bombings caused? Is the Iranian nuclear program now history? And what about regime change in Tehran? Does Trump want one or does he not? And how could this be achieved without a military invasion? And finally: what about the ceasefire? Finally: Thank you Donald Trump! The US president's behavior has practically turned his neighbor Canada and the European Union into political lovers. Trump's threat of the 51st federal state was echoed in this country by talk of the 28th member state of the EU. This week, the leaders of the EU and Canada met in Brussels for a summit - which also focused on defence. But that's not all: the bilateral security and defence pact, that was signed here, is the most far-reaching agreement that Europe has ever entered into with a third country. This will open up new avenues for joint work on crisis management, military mobility, maritime security, cyber and cyber threats, and defence industrial co-operation. Is Canada replacing the US as a favorite partner in North America?
