Reform within the Treaties

Abstract

The second strand of the elected Parliament’s initial approach was to press for institutional reform within the existing treaties. As we saw at the beginning of the previous chapter, treaty revision was not initially seen as a realistic or attractive option. On the other hand, the prospect for institutional reform within the treaties, notably by means of interinstitutional agreements, was held to be possible, with MEPs looking to the precedents of the Joint Declaration with the Council and the Commission on the Conciliation Procedure (see chapter 4) and the ‘LunsWesterterp procedures’ whereby Council had agreed to involve Parliament more closely in discussions on international agreements with third countries.¹ As explained by Klaus Hänsch:

‘It is a realistic [approach] confined to what can he done up to 1984, the year of the second direct elections. … We must be able to show that we have actually achieved something … The Treaty could not be amended by 1984, even if that was what was wanted, because the time is too short.²