§ Mr. Marlowasked the Lord Privy Seal what are the areas of policy in which the European Assembly has competence as defined by the Treaty of Rome and subsequently.
§ Sir Ian GilmourThe Parliament's principal powers are as follows. Under article 203 it adopts the budget and can reject the entire draft budget, and can amend the provisions for non-obligatory expenditure, over which it has the last word, subject to the limits of the maximum rate. It can propose modifications to items of obligatory expenditure, but here the Council has the last word. Adoption of the budget is the only act of a legislative nature that the Parliament is empowered to take.
On legislation outside the budget, the Parliament's role is limited by the treaties to delivering opinions. Many Treaty articles specify that the Council can take action only after receiving such an opinion from the Parliament. The European Court of Justice upheld this requirement last year, although there is no obligation on the Council to accept the Parliament's views.
Under article 144 the Parliament may pass a vote of censure on the Commission by two-thirds of the votes cast and a majority of the Parliament; if it does the Commission must resign.