Phil Hogan
Question:35 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Finance the grounds on which the Commission has initiated a court action against the Council of Ministers in respect of enforcement of the rules of the stability pact. [8697/04]
View answerTuesday, 23 March 2004
Questions (49)
Written answers
The Deputy appears to be referring to the European Commission action concerning the ECOFIN Council conclusions of 25 November 2003 on the implementation of the excessive deficit provisions of the treaty.
The decision of the European Commission to initiate a court action against the Council in this case is entirely a matter for the Commission itself. In this regard, I would specifically point the Deputy to the Commission press release of 13 January 2004 which outlined the grounds for its decision, available at www.europa.eu.int/comm/economyfinance/news/pressreleasesen.htm.
As regards the ECOFIN Council meeting of 25 November last, the Commission and the Council differed in their interpretation of the treaty provisions, but not on the substance of the issues in question.