Quote:
Originally Posted by arthursmedley
You're not kidding! Everything you have just posted about the rights and responsibilities of the EU parliament and it's members and it's relationship to other EU bodies and the council of ministers is totally incorrect.
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What specifically about it was wrong?
EDIT: Ok, I've had a look at the treaties.
As to what I said about the Council (used to be the Council of Ministers, but they changed the name), article 16, paragraph 2 of the Treaty on European Union (from the consolidated version post-Lisbon):
"The Council shall consist of a
representative of each Member State at a ministerial level, who
may commit the government of the Member State in question and cast its vote." - Therefore, members of the Council represent the interests of the member states, as I said.
As to what I said about the Parliament, article 14 paragraph 2, same treaty, though I've seriously cut it down because most of it is irrelevant:
"The European Parliament shall be composed of
representatives of the Union's citizens." - Meaning, like I said, they represent the Union (or the citizens of the Union), not their Member States.
I can go deeper into the treaties to show what I said about the relationship between the two, the decision making process etc., but it's boring and written in very long-handed legal speak so I'm not going to post it here.
Knowing these treaties is my job. If you can find any other articles in the treaties, or anything elsewhere, that proves me wrong, seriously please let me know, since I am interested to read these sorts of things and although it is my job, that doesn't mean I know everything so would like to learn more. But, as it is, that's how it's written in the treaties and so that's how it is as far as I know, unless you can show me otherwise
