Passerelle

This procedure is used to modify the legislative procedure used in some specific policy areas. The passarelle procedure is only used in those areas where this option is explicitly stated in the Eropean treaties. The use of the passerelle procedure is very limited, but it can have far-reaching consequences for the policy areas concerned.

Roughly, the procedure proceeds as follows: the Council of Ministers must decide, by unanimity, to substitute a special legislative procedure with the ordinary legislative procedure for that policy area.

Step 1: Initiative

The European Commission submits a proposal to revise the European Treaty to the European Parliament and to the Council of Ministers.

Step 2: treatment of the proposal

The European Parliament formulates an advice based on a majority of votes cast. Next, the Council of Ministers decides, by unanimity, whether the ordinary legislative procedure will be used in a certain policy area instead of a special legislative procedure.

Mandatory advice

Depending on the policy area, the Economic and Social Committee and/or the Committee of the Regions have to be consulted.

The passarelle procedure is used in the following policy areas to change the legislative procedure:

• - 

  environmental matters, relating to fiscal matters, spatial planning and soil and water management.
• - 

  family law
• - 

  social policy relating to the right of workers

For all other amendment to the treaties, the ordinary revision procedure applies (for major treaty changes) and the simplified revision procedure applies (focused on revising decision-making and voting methods).

The revision of the European Treaties through the simplified revision policy is based on the Treaty of the European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union:

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  application: part three TfEU titel V, chapter 3 art. 81¹, paragraph 3 (family law), part three TfEU titel X art. 153², paragraph 2b (social policy), part three TfEU titel XX art. 192³, paragraph 2 (environmental policy)

• 1. 

  1. De Unie ontwikkelt een justitiële samenwerking in burgerlijke zaken met grensoverschrijdende gevolgen, die berust op het beginsel van wederzijdse erkenning van rechterlijke beslissingen en van beslissingen in buitengerechtelijke zaken. Deze samenwerking kan maatregelen ter aanpassing van de wettelijke en bestuursrechtelijke bepalingen van de lidstaten omvatten.
   
• 2. 

  1. Ter verwezenlijking van de doelstellingen van artikel 151 wordt het optreden van de lidstaten op de volgende gebieden door de Unie ondersteund en aangevuld:
   
• 3. 

  1. Het Europees Parlement en de Raad stellen volgens de gewone wetgevingsprocedure en na raadpleging van het Economisch en Sociaal Comité en het Comité van de Regio's de activiteiten vast die de Unie moet ondernemen om de doelstellingen van artikel 191 te verwezenlijken.
   
• 4. 

  Decision making in the European Union takes places by means of various legislative procedures. The ordinary legislative procedure is the default procedure. When the Treaties indicate otherwise one of the special legislative procedures is used. Secondary legislation is decided upon by means of a seperate set of special procedures.