Decision - Montesquieu Institute

This type of legally binding act is no longer used since the Treaty of Lisbon came into force December 2009. It, together with various other legal instruments, was replaced by a new version of the decision. The old decision addressed specific legal entities (citizens, organisations or member states). The decision was only binding to those it addressed.

Area of application

Decisions were directly applicable and as such it was not necessary for them to be transposed into national legislation. By means of a decision the EU was able to:

• - 

  request the addressee to act on a specified subject or measure
• - 

  request the addressee to omit or drop a specified act or measure
• - 

  entitle the addressee to certain rights or benefits
• - 

  impose obligations onto the addressee

An addressee was either a member state, EU citizen or EU organisation or company.

Decisions provided for a means by which to effectively enforce European law. Decisions were used to issue fines for cartels and illegal state aid, or to impose sanctions and coercive measures. It was also used to grant subsidies.

Legal entities were able to make a direct appeal against decisions at the Court of First Instance and possibly appeal to their decision at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Adopting decisions

Decisions were adopted by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, just the Council or the European Commission. 

The decision is obsolete since December first 2009. Unless otherwise stated, existing decisions are still in effect.

Er zijn momenteel 304 beschikkingen in onderhandeling:

Date	Title
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2009/591/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Latvia.
	Decision com(2013)386
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2009/588/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Lithuania.
	Decision com(2013)387
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2004/918/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Hungary.
	Decision com(2013)388
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2009/590/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Romania.
	Decision com(2013)395

Er zijn momenteel 713 beschikkingen goedgekeurd die geimplementeerd en binnenkort rechtsgeldig zullen worden:

Datum	Titel
22.04.2013	Authorisation of France to apply a reduced rate of taxation to unleaded petrol used as motor fuel and consumed in Corsican departments
	Decision COM(2013)8
22.04.2013	Authorisation of France to apply reduced levels of taxation to petrol and gas oil used as motor fuels in accordance with Article 19 of ...
	Decision COM(2013)22
13.03.2013	Amendment of Decisions 573/2007/EC, 575/2007/EC and 2007/435/EC increasing the co-financing rate of three European funds for Member States ...
	Decision COM(2012)526
13.03.2013	Amendment of Decision No 574/2007/EC with a view to increasing the co-financing rate of the External Borders Fund for Member States in ...
	Decision COM(2012)527

Datum	Titel
06.06.2013	Authorisation of the European Commission to negotiate, on behalf of the EU, an international convention of the Council of Europe to combat ...
	Decision COM(2012)655
27.05.2013	Authorisation of Member States to sign, in the interests of the EU, the Arms Trade Treaty
	Decision COM(2013)273
14.05.2013	Authorisation of the Czech Republic and Poland to apply special measures derogating from Article 5 of the VAT Directive
	Decision COM(2013)116
22.04.2013	Authorisation of Latvia to derogate from Article 26(1)(a) and Articles 168 and 168a of the VAT Directive
	Decision COM(2013)68

Date	Title
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2009/591/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Latvia.
	Decision com(2013)386
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2009/588/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Lithuania.
	Decision com(2013)387
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2004/918/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Hungary.
	Decision com(2013)388
29.05.2013	Abrogation of Decision 2009/590/EC on the existence of an excessive deficit in Romania.
	Decision com(2013)395