Assent procedure
The assent procedure is one of the legislative procedures of the European Community, the 1st of the Three pillars of the European Union. Under this procedure, the Council of the European Union must obtain
Parliament's assent before certain important decisions can be taken. It was introduced by the Single European Act.
Parliament may accept or reject a proposal but cannot amend it. The procedure is the same as in the case of consultation, except that Parliament cannot amend a proposal: it must either accept or reject it. Acceptance ("assent") requires an absolute majority of the vote cast. The areas covered by the assent procedure are: specific tasks of the European Central Bank (ECB); amending the statutes of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) / European Central Bank; the Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds; the uniform electoral procedure for the European Parliament; certain international agreements; the accession of new member states. Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, Parliament's assent is also required
in the event of sanctions being imposed on a Member State for
a serious and persistent breach of fundamental rights under
the new Article 7 of the EU Treaty. In its opinion on the 2000 Intergovernmental Conference
the European Commission argued
in favour of extending the procedure to the conclusion of agreements with
significant economic and commercial implications at world level.
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