EU Commission: "We are at risk; urgent action is necessary."
This morning, the EU executive, through its spokesperson, Thomas Regnier, said it would not comment at this time on the European Parliament's Juri Committee's vote against the decision to use the emergency procedure provided for by Article 122 of the TFEU on the rearmament plan: "We will not comment at this time, but I would like to say, more generally, that today we are facing a risk to our security, which is quite real, and that is why the Commission has proposed this new instrument, which will allow Member States to jointly purchase defense goods."
"It is based on Article 122, and I would like to remind you that, in our political guidelines, the President states that Article 122 should only be used in exceptional circumstances, such as those we are experiencing now," he emphasized. "During her previous mandate, Article 122 was also activated in exceptional circumstances, for example due to Covid or when gas prices were high, and therefore the Commission is well aware of this proposal. It is up to the Member States to approve it, and the Commission has always been willing to explain its position to Parliament, and we will do so for other institutions as well."
Five Star Movement attacks: "A slap in the face to the European Parliament."
The Five Star Movement (M5S), which is part of The Left group in the European Parliament, has called for the legal opinion of the Juri Committee to be made public: "The European Parliament must react to the European Commission's slap in the face regarding the approval procedure for the European recovery plan. We call on the Chairman of the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, Bulgarian Ilhan Kyuchyuk, to make public the legal opinion of the legal services, which unequivocally rejects the use of Article 122 of the Treaty, which prevents MEPs from amending and voting on the rearmament plan. Enough with the secrets! Citizens have the right to read this document, currently inexplicably classified, and form their own opinion. We are confident they will be on our side," read Mario Furore, MEP for the Five Star Movement, in a statement.
The Five Star Movement has therefore asked the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament to schedule a debate with a resolution, for the next May plenary session in Strasbourg, starting on May 5, on the use of Article 122 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU for the SAFE Regulation.
The regulation in question allows the Commission to lend up to €150 billion to member states for defense spending. According to the Five Star Movement (M5S), the European Commission's decision to ignore the unanimous vote of the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee against the emergency procedure for the rearmament plan is a further serious affront to democracy. "However, hiding behind the words of a spokesperson isn't enough; the Commission must stand up for it," the Five Star Movement delegation wrote in a statement.
"Ursula von der Leyen should come to the Chamber to justify why she wants to silence the entire Parliament and prevent a vote. We therefore appeal to all political groups to assert the rights of the European Parliament: we want a public debate on rearmament. It's not just a question of method, but also of substance, because the vast majority of citizens are against it," the Five Star Movement continues. "With her arrogance, Ursula von der Leyen is provoking a dangerous clash between European institutions, which risks descending into chaos. She will regret it."
