The '''codecision procedure''' is the main legislative procedure by which law can be adopted in the European Community, the first of the three pillars of the European Union. The codecision procedure gives the European Parliament the power to adopt legislation jointly with the Council of the European Union, '''requiring the two bodies to agree''' on an identical text before any proposal can become law.

The procedure is also known as the "Article 251 procedure", as it is laid down in Article 251 of the EC Treaty. The new Treaty of Lisbon replaces all references to the "procedure referred to in Article 251" with references to the "ordinary legislative procedure".<ref>[http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/cg00001re01en.pdf Text of the Draft Treaty amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community]</ref>

== Other legislative procedures ==
The main differences with the other European Union legislative procedures are as follows:

* The (now rarely used) cooperation procedure gives the European Parliament greater influence in the legislative process. The Council can overrule Parliament's rejection of the particular proposal by adopting a proposal unanimously.
* In the consultation procedure, the Council is not bound by Parliament's position or by any other consultative body, but only by the obligation to consult the Parliament.
* The assent procedure is similar to the consultation procedure, except that the Council
cannot overrule a rejection by the Parliament.
* The Lamfalussy process is a four-level legislative approach designed to bring about more transparency, flexibility and accountability through comitology -initially devised for securities, the approach has now been extended to the entire EU financial sector.

==Procedural summary==

Under the codecision procedure, a new legislative proposal is drafted by the Council of Ministers. The two institutions discuss the proposal independently, and each may amend it freely.

In Council, a new proposal is first considered by a working group for that policy area. The conclusion of the working group's discussions is known as the ''[http://europa.eu.int/comm/codecision/stepbystep/glossary_en.htm#orientationgenerale orientation generale]'', and usually forms the basis of Council's position at the end of the first reading, which is known as the ''common position''.

Meanwhile, Parliament appoints one of its members as 'rapporteur' to steer the proposal through its committee stage. The rapporteur is responsible for incorporating the committee's amendments into the draft proposal, as well as the recommendations of the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee. The finished report is then voted on in full plenary, where further amendments may be introduced.

In order for the proposal to become law, Council and Parliament must approve each other's amendments and agree upon a final text in identical terms. If the two institutions have agreed on identical amendments after the first reading, the proposal becomes law; this happens from time to time, either where there is a general consensus or where there is great time pressure to adopt the legislation.

Otherwise, there is a second reading in each institution, where each considers the other's amendments. Parliament must conduct its second reading within three months of Council delivering its common position, or else Council's amendments are deemed to have been accepted, though this time period can be extended by Parliament if it chooses to do so.

If the institutions are unable to reach agreement after the second reading, a conciliation committee is set up with an equal number of members from Parliament and Council. The committee attempts to negotiate a compromise text which must then be approved by both institutions.

Both Parliament and Council have the power to reject a proposal either at second reading or following conciliation, causing the proposal to fall. The Commission may also withdraw its proposal at any time. 
===Diagram===
For a pictorial representation of the codecision procedure, the EU provides [http://ec.europa.eu/codecision/stepbystep/diagram_en.htm this diagram].

==Policy areas where codecision applies==
The policy areas where the codecision procedure applies <ref>[http://europa.eu/institutions/decision-making/index_en.htm How the EU takes decisions<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> under the current EU treaties are:

*consumer protection 
*culture 
*customs co-operation 
*education 
*employment 
*equal opportunities and equal treatment 
*health 
*implementing decisions regarding the European Regional Development Fund 
*implementing decisions regarding the European Social Fund 
*non-discrimination on the basis of nationality 
*preventing and combating fraud 
*research 
*setting up a data protection advisory body
*social security for migrant workers 
*statistics 
*the environment 
*the fight against social exclusion 
*the free movement of workers 
*the internal market 
*the right of establishment 
*the Schengen rules<ref>.</ref>
The Lisbon Treaty gives the Parliament more power through extended co-decision
*Trans-European Networks 
*transparency 
*transport 
*vocational training 

The new Treaty establishing a constitution for Europe, if it enters into force, will extend codecision to virtually all areas of EU policy.

La '''procedura di codecisione''' è una delle procedure legislative della Comunità europea. In essa il Parlamento interviene attivamente nel processo legislativo comunitario, non limitandosi a fornire pareri, ma potendo modificare il testo sottoposto all'esame degli organi legislativi dalla Commisione.

Il termine procedura di codecisione non è presente in nessuno dei Trattati dell'Unione Europea, ufficialmente il Trattato di Maastricht si riferisce alla codecisione come alla '''procedura prevista nell'art. 251''' a causa dell'opposizione di Regno Unito e Danimarca all'adozione ufficiale del nome.
Solo in alcune materie è prevista questa forma di partecipazione intensa del Parlamento nel processo decisionale, tuttavia il Trattato di Amsterdam e il Trattato di Nizza hanno semplificato il procedimento e ne hanno ampliato l'ambito di applicazione.

Il Trattato Costituzionale, oltre a semplificare ulteriormente l'iter, prevede l'utilizzo della Procedura di codecisione nella maggior parte delle materie e la qualifica come Procedura ordinaria.

==La procedura==
La Procedura di codecisione prevede due fasi o letture:

===Prima lettura===
La procedura inizia con una proposta di legge sottoposta al Parlamento Europeo e al Consiglio da parte della Commissione.
Se il Parlamento non modifica il testo spetterà al Consiglio l'approvazione.
Se il Parlamento propone modifiche il testo è reinviato alla Commissione che può approvare o meno le modifiche del Parlamento:
*se approva le modifiche il testo è inviato al Consiglio per l'approvazione.
*se non approva le modifiche possono presentarsi due situazioni:
**il Consiglio approva ad unanimità il testo emendato dal Parlamento;
**il Consiglio non accetta le modifiche e apre la fase della seconda lettura.