Public consultation - Main contents

The European Commission launches electronic consultations on a regular basis. These consultations attempt to examine the point of view of parties policy proposal. Another commonly used term is 'consultation' or 'consultation process'.

The exact format of the consultatations varies. However, the consultations mostly exist of issues or documents that will be elucidated or have background information. In addition, they include a questionnaire. Correspondents can anwser the questionnaire and provide input and comments either online, through e-mail, by fax or in writing, within a period of a few months. In most cases, all responses will be published online. On request, the names of the entrants are not mentioned.

The responses are catagorised as business sector (companies and trade organisations), non-governmental organsations (civil societies, including trade unions), Member States, public authorities of the Memer States, countries of accesion, agencies and governments of third countries, international organisations, and individuals.

Overview of consultations

The Commission keeps an overview of the current consultations. Please note that not all consultations are included in this list.