COSAC and the Role of National Parliaments in EU Software Patent Lawmaking

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COSAC is a forum for involvement of national Parliaments in EU lawmaking. It has its legal basis in an additional protocol to the Amsterdam Treaty. National Parliaments have largely been marginalised by the process of EU legislation. This becomes particularly clear when looking at how national parliaments were misinformed and ignored by the fusioned executive bodies in the EU Council during the Council's first reading of the software patent directive in 2004.

News & Chronology

• 2004-12-16 EU Vrijschrift/FFII-NL: The EU Presidency denies the new members the rights the Protocol on the Role of National Parliaments in the European Union grants them, the Common Position on Software Patents will be illegal. (A second letter to COSAC)

• 2004-09-05 FFII.nl calls on Committee of National Parliaments to review Council legislation