The European Parliament approved an updated framework agreement for its relations with the European Commission on Wednesday (11 March). Such arrangements might seem dull, but with wars in Ukraine and Iran, rocky trade relations with China and the U.S., and a host of other global and domestic pressures, the EU’s institutions are reassessing how to work together efficiently – often more for their own institutional advantage than for the collective good.
The Parliament, the EU’s directly elected chamber, has long sought to cement its role as co-legislator and strengthen oversight of the Commission, the executive branch that initiates most legislative processes.
The revised framework agreement, more than 15 years in the making, enhances transparency, trust, and accountability between the European Parliament and the Commission. It ensures Commissioners appear in plenary sessions and committee debates when requested, improves the flow of information from the Commission to Parliament for timely legislative and budgetary oversight, and strengthens Parliament’s ability to request amendments or repeal existing laws. The deal also gives MEPs a meaningful role in international negotiations, reinforcing their scrutiny powers and overall democratic oversight.
The EP’s President, Roberta Metsola, described the deal as “strengthening our partnership built on trust, transparency and democratic accountability” and said it would “improve the effectiveness and credibility of our actions for all Europeans.” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen framed it as a step toward “stronger, effective and transparent engagement between the EU institutions.”
Sven Simon, Parliament co-negotiator and chair of the responsible committee, added that the agreement strengthens Parliament’s indirect right of initiative and sets clear conditions for the use of the Commission’s emergency powers, ensuring democratic oversight.
The third in the triad
Representatives of member states, meeting in the Council, appear to feel left out. They threatened legal action over the Parliament-Commission agreement, arguing it upsets the delicate institutional “balance” between the EU’s branches.
The Council’s objection focused on Parliament’s greater role in the provisional application of international trade deals and the Commission’s pledge to better explain its use of emergency powers under Article 122 TFEU, which procedurally bypasses Parliament. “The Council reserves its right to take any appropriate actions to defend its prerogatives, including by bringing the matter to the Court,” a Council letter stated.
Meanwhile, some member states are quietly exploring a separate “special cooperation” channel with the Commission. The idea, discussed in an ambassadors’ meeting last month, remains exploratory but signals a desire to assert influence independently of Parliament.
For now, both Parliament and the Council seem primarily focused on securing their own influence with the Commission, rather than smoothing the institutional relationships that would help them legislate together.
