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Inter-service consultation produces lengthy negotiations inside Commission
During the inter-services consultation – the phase when DG Environment formally consults other Directorates-General within the Commission – some other Directorates-General raised objections to some of the proposed provisions for the new directive. These objections were serious enough to require resolution, so there have been a series of meetings between the various DGs, but they do not appear to have reached a compromise yet. If they do not reach a compromise, DG Environment could employ an alternate, but little-used, method to have the proposed new directive adopted by the College of Commissioners, but this would take at least two months. After adoption the proposal is published and sent to the Parliament and Council for its first reading.
Given the summer break, it is unlikely that it could be adopted before September or October. This leaves a limited window of opportunity if the Parliament is to have time to complete a first reading before April next year, when all parliamentary activity effectively ceases in preparation for the June 2009 European Elections. Delaying the publication of the proposed directive until after the elections is likely to result in criticism from several quarters, so the pressure is on the Commission to resolve their internal differences over the summer.