Representatives of the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the European Union met for the first time in Strasbourg on March 10th as an inter-institutional Working Group on regulatory agencies. The group agreed that the objective should be to reach a common approach on agencies between the three Institutions. Participants committed to deliver its conclusions as soon as possible.

The group will address issues such as funding, budget, supervision and management. In its upcoming discussions the group will take into account the results of the ongoing evaluation of the European decentralised agencies commissioned by the Commission. The evaluation findings are expected by the end of this year.

There are currently 28 European agencies spread across the EU member states. For many citizens, they are the closest presence of the EU. Their activities are varied – some deliver support to the Union's decision-making process by pooling available expertise, some adopt individual decisions applying agreed EU standards, and others aid the implementation of Community policies.

However, the ad hoc establishment of agencies over the years has not been accompanied by an overall vision of their position in the Union, which has made it more difficult for them to work effectively and to deliver for the EU as a whole.

In a Communication “The European Agencies – The way forward” of March 2008, the Commission invited the Parliament and the Council to an inter-institutional debate, with a view to achieving a common approach regarding the role and place of regulatory agencies in EU governance.

European Commission Vice-President, Margot Wallström, highlighted the significant role Agencies have to play in the EU and that Agencies “have made a valuable contribution to the EU over the years. But we can improve them and I am pleased that, for the first time, all three Institutions have agreed to sit down together and reach a consensus on the issue."

Inter-institutional Working Group on regulatory agencies - Common Statement

The European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission have agreed to launch an inter-institutional dialogue on Regulatory Agencies with a view to assessing the existing situation, specifically the coherence, effectiveness, accountability and transparency of these Agencies, and finding a common ground on how to improve their work. A special report from the European Court of Auditors delivered in September 2008, made an analysis on whether regulatory agencies has introduced the procedures and tools needed to provide reasonable assurance that their activities were performed in such a way as to achieve the results expected.

The three Institutions have recognised the important role of Regulatory Agencies in implementing the policies of the EU and the need to make them a more effective tool in this respect.

The inter-institutional Working Group will address a number of key issues put forward by the participating Institutions, including the role and position of the Agencies in the EU's institutional landscape, the creation, structure and operation of these agencies, together with funding, budgetary, supervision and management issues.

After the first meeting of the Group, work will be carried out at technical level. This technical group will hold its first meeting within one month and will prepare a methodology/roadmap for future work to be presented to the next meeting at political level early in the autumn. The secretariat of the inter-institutional Working Group will be provided by the Commission in close contact with the Parliament and the Council.