Editing European Parliament (section)

===Legislative procedure===
With each new treaty, the powers of the Parliament, in terms of its role in the [[Ordinary legislative procedure|Union's legislative procedures]], have expanded. The procedure which has slowly become dominant is the "[[ordinary legislative procedure]]" (previously named "codecision procedure"), which provides an equal footing between Parliament and Council. In particular, under the procedure, the Commission presents a proposal to Parliament and the Council which can only become law if both agree on a text, which they do (or not) through successive readings up to a maximum of three. In its first reading, Parliament may send amendments to the Council which can either adopt the text with those amendments or send back a "common position". That position may either be approved by Parliament, or it may reject the text by an [[Majority|absolute majority]], causing it to fail, or it may adopt further amendments, also by an absolute majority. If the Council does not approve these, then a "[[Trilogue meeting|Conciliation Committee]]" is formed. The committee is composed of the Council members plus an equal number of MEPs who seek to agree a compromise. Once a position is agreed, it has to be approved by Parliament, by a simple majority.<ref name="Parliament's powers">{{cite web|title=Parliament's powers and procedures|publisher=European Parliament|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/public/staticDisplay.do?language=EN&id=46|access-date=12 June 2007}}</ref><ref name="decision making">{{cite web|title=Decision-making in the European Union|publisher=European Parliament|url=http://www.europa.eu/institutions/decision-making/index_en.htm|access-date=18 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011040316/http://europa.eu/institutions/decision-making/index_en.htm|archive-date=11 October 2007|df=dmy-all}}</ref> This is also aided by Parliament's mandate as the only directly democratic institution, which has given it leeway to have greater control over legislation than other institutions, for example over its changes to the [[Bolkestein directive]] in 2006.<ref name="FT CIO"/>

In practice, most legislation is adopted at the first reading stage after the Parliament and the Council, having set out their initial positions, then negotiate a compromise text.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Corbett |first1=Richard |author-link=Richard Corbett |last2=Jacobs |first2=Francis |last3=Shackleton |first3=Michael |title=The European Parliament |edition=9th |publisher=John Harper Publishing |date=2016 |location=London |isbn=978-0-9564508-5-2}} The same three co-authors have written every edition since the first in 1990.
* {{cite book |last=Corbett |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Corbett |title=The European Parliament's Role in Closer EU Integration |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |date=June 1998 |location=LBasingstoke |isbn=978-0333722527 }}</ref> These negotiations take place in so-called "trilogue" meetings, in which the Commission is also present.

In a few areas, ''special legislative procedures'' apply. These include justice and home affairs, budget and taxation, and certain aspects of other policy areas, such as the fiscal aspects of environmental policy. In these areas, the Council or Parliament decide law alone after consulting the other (or with its consent).<ref name="lisbon explain"/>

There are different types of [[European Union law#Legislation]].<ref name="Parliament's powers"/> The strongest act is a [[Regulation (European Union)|regulation]], an [[Act of Parliament|act]] or [[Statutory law|law]] which is directly applicable in its entirety. Then there are [[Directive (European Union)|directives]] which bind member states to certain goals which they must achieve. They do this through their own laws and hence have room to manoeuvre in deciding upon them. A [[European Union decision|decision]] is an instrument which is applicable to a particular person or group. Institutions may also issue [[European Union recommendation|recommendations and opinions]] which are merely non-binding, declarations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Community legal instruments |publisher=European Parliament |url=http://europa.eu/scadplus/glossary/community_legal_instruments_en.htm |access-date=18 September 2007 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708114002/http://europa.eu/scadplus/glossary/community_legal_instruments_en.htm |archive-date=8 July 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref>