Over the weekend I noticed something odd.
I had been checking PSD3 and the PSR on Parliament’s Legislative Observatory, which still says the Council’s first-reading position is awaited. Then a search turned up the Council’s own voting results: both positions were adopted on Thursday 29 October, 27 votes to 0, no abstentions.
Two institutions, two clocks
Both pages are right. Parliament’s tracker records Parliament’s events, and the Council’s position only appears there once the plenary is told it has arrived, which is weeks away. The Council’s register moved the day after the vote. Same legislation, two institutions, two clocks.
What the vote means: the text Parliament will vote on now exists, and the ECON chair said in May she would recommend accepting it unamended. Second reading, signature, Official Journal; nothing is law yet.
So be careful which EU site your programme plan is keyed to. For where the Council is, read the Council.
I have added the Council milestones to the EU Payments Law procedure history, each linked to its Council document, with Parliament’s status shown beside them so you can see the lag for yourself. Like EUR-Lex, but actually usable.
Which tracker were you watching?
https://paymentslaw.eu/compare/#milestones
This post is from Out of band, the shorter arguments I make on LinkedIn between essays, kept here with their sources. For the long form, read the essays.