Approval next week to return back-loading to parliament

The Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) is to formally approve the back-loading proposal next week, after which it is likely to head directly to a European Parliament plenary in December skipping the environment committee, two EU sources told ICIS on Wednesday.

Last week Coreper, which prepares the work of the European Council, gave the EU Presidency the mandate to enter into trilogue negotiations with the EU Parliament on the back-loading measure.

As the version passed by the Parliament in July was adopted by EU countries in the Coreper last week, no trilogue negotiations will be held, the office of Matthias Groote, chair of the Parliament’s environment committee, said. An EU Council Presidency source confirmed this.

Coreper now needs to formally approve without discussion the agreed text at a meeting on Wednesday or Friday of next week, the Presidency source said on Wednesday.

Following formal approval from Coreper, the proposal is likely to go directly to plenary sitting of parliament skipping the environment committee stage.

A European Parliament source said: “it is more likely that the text will be voted in plenary directly, as requested by the [environment committee] chair, but this is still to be confirmed.”

Groote’s office did not confirm he has made such a request but said he “is hoping to go to plenary as swiftly as possible”.

The Parliament source said Groote requested the presidency and conference of presidents add the vote to the 9-12 December plenary agenda. A tentative vote has been set for 10 December.

After the plenary step, the proposal would still need the approval by either the Council of the European Union on 13 December or the European Council on 18-20 December. Silvia Molteni