The World Today
BRUSSELS, 20 (EUROPA PRESS)
The European Parliament on Wednesday called on the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to annul the €150 billion defense loan plan, known as SAFE, arguing that it was approved without the support of the European Parliament, which maintains that it should be reinstated on the proper legal basis.
As confirmed to Europa Press by the institution's press service, this Wednesday the European Parliament took the step of bringing the European fund before the CJEU for its annulment, following the recommendation of the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs.
In any case, it also requests that the effects of the regulation be maintained until it is replaced by a new act adopted on the appropriate legal basis, so that this legal process does not hinder the launch of the fund and the deployment of loans to strengthen European armies.
The European Parliament focuses on Article 122, the emergency procedure followed in this case, allowing the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, to decide on appropriate economic measures in the event of serious situations. The Treaty limits this to the supply of certain products, particularly in the energy sector, or in disaster response.
This procedure was used on several occasions by the Commission and the Council to respond to the coronavirus crisis and the energy situation created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in a maneuver that bypassed the European Parliament.
For the European Parliament, the procedure followed for the adoption of SAFE was incorrect and unnecessary, as it undermines democratic legitimacy by not involving the European Parliament, the EU's co-legislator along with the Council. In any case, the complaint to the CJEU does not jeopardize the deployment of the funds, which 18 Member States, including Spain, have already requested from the European Commission, for a total of €127 billion .
