Committees of the European Parliament

The committees of the European Parliament are designed to aid the European Commission in initiating legislation.

A committee room in the Parliament

Standing committees are made up of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who are directly elected to the seats in the European Parliament by the electorate. Each committee has a chair and four vice-chairs, along with numerous committee members. Each committee also has substitute members.

Reports are usually compiled by a rapporteur, who is appointed by the chair of the committee, selected from amongst the members or permanent substitutes.

Appointment edit

The established system for the appointment of committee chairs follows the D'Hondt method.[1]

Legislative reports edit

In the process of proposing and drafting legislation, the European Commission will consult the various standing committees during the codecision procedure, and these committees will advise the commission by producing reports, proposing amendments to the draft legislation, and providing, if necessary, a drafted legislative resolution.

In the event of at least one-tenth of the members objecting to any particular amendment, the amendment will be put to a vote at the committee's next meeting.

Similarly, unless at least one-tenth of committee members object, committees can also pass legislation back to the commission without amendments.

Non-legislative reports edit

Committees are also able to produce non-legislative reports. The appointed rapporteur is responsible for preparing the report, and presenting it to Parliament on the committee's behalf. These reports must include a motion for a resolution, an explanatory statement, and must also outline financial implications.

Own-initiative reports edit

Committees can also produce reports relevant to their competence, without having to be consulted. These are called "Own-Initiative Reports", and are used to submit a motion for a resolution.

Before drawing up any such report, a committee must obtain the permission of the Conference of Presidents. The Conference of Presidents has two months to make a decision, and any reasons for withholding permission must always be stated.

Cross-committee co-operation edit

When drawing up a report, a committee may ask the opinion of another committee on the matter, particularly if it is felt that a proposed amendment would fall into the interests of another committee. The committee asked for an opinion will be named as such in the final report. The chair and drafter of the secondary committee may be invited to take part in any committee discussions held by the primary committee, where the meeting deals with the matter that the secondary committee is advising on.

Amendments that are proposed by the secondary committee will be voted on by the committee responsible for producing the report.

If the Conference of Presidents decides that a requested report falls equally to two committees, both committees will agree upon a joint timetable, and shall work together in producing the report.

List of standing committees edit

This is a list of standing committees along with the respective chairperson as of January 2022.[2]

Committee Members Chair Vice Chairs
1st half of term
(2019-2022)
2nd half of term
(2022-2024)
1st half of term
(2019-2022)
2nd half of term
(2022-2024)
Committee on Foreign Affairs AFET 79 EPP David McAllister   GER ECR Witold Waszczykowski   POL
RE Urmas Paet   EST
S&D Sergei Stanishev   BUL
EPP Željana Zovko   HRV
Subcommittee on Security and Defence SEDE 30 RE Nathalie Loiseau   FRA S&D Nikos Androulakis   GRE
EPP Rasa Juknevičienė   LIT
GUE
/
NGL
Özlem Demirel   GER
EPP Lukas Mandl   AUT
Subcommittee on Human Rights DROI 30 S&D Marie Arena   BEL S&D since Feb 2023

Udo Bullmann

  GER RE Bernard Guetta   FRA
G /
EFA
Hannah Neumann   GER
EPP Christian Sagartz   AUT
S&D Raphaël Glucksmann   FRA
Committee on Development DEVE 26 EPP Tomas Tobé   SWE G /
EFA
Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana   GER
S&D Norbert Neuser   GER S&D Pierfrancesco Majorino   ITA
RE Chrysoula Zacharopoulou   FRA
G /
EFA
Erik Marquardt   GER
Committee on International Trade INTA 41 S&D Bernd Lange   GER ECR Jan Zahradil   CZE
EPP Iuliu Winkler   ROM
EPP Anna-Michelle Assimakopoulou   GRE
RE Marie-Pierre Vedrenne   FRA
Committee on Budgets BUDG 41 ECR Johan Van Overtveldt   BEL EPP Janusz Lewandowski   POL
RE Olivier Chastel   BEL
S&D Margarida Marques   POR
EPP Niclas Herbst   GER
Committee on Budgetary Control CONT 30 EPP Monika Hohlmeier   GER S&D Isabel García Muñoz   ESP
S&D Caterina Chinnici   ITA
RE Martina Dlabajová   CZE RE Gilles Boyer   FRA
EPP Petri Sarvamaa   FIN EPP Tomáš Zdechovský   CZE
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs ECON 61 S&D Irene Tinagli   ITA EPP Luděk Niedermayer   CZE
RE Stéphanie Yon-Courtin   FRA
ECR Michiel Hoogeveen   NLD
GUE
/
NGL
José Gusmão   POR
Subcommittee on Tax Matters FISC 30 S&D Paul Tang   NLD EPP Markus Ferber   GER
RE Martin Hlaváček   CZE
G /
EFA
Kira Marie Peter-Hansen   DEN
EPP Othmar Karas   AUT
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs EMPL 55 RE Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová   SVK RE Dragoș Pîslaru   ROM S&D Vilija Blinkevičiūtė   LIT S&D Elisabetta Gualmini   ITA
GUE
/
NGL
Sandra Pereira   POR GUE
/
NGL
Leïla Chaibi   FRA
EPP Tomáš Zdechovský   CZE EPP Romana Tomc   SLO
G /
EFA
Katrin Langensiepen   GER
Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety ENVI 88 RE Pascal Canfin   FRA G /
EFA
Bas Eickhout   NED
S&D César Luena   ESP
EPP Dan-Ștefan Motreanu   ROM
GUE
/
NGL
Anja Hazekamp   NED
Committee on Industry, Research and Energy ITRE 72 EPP Cristian Bușoi   ROM ECR Zdzisław Krasnodębski   POL
RE Morten Helveg Petersen   DEN
S&D Patrizia Toia   ITA
S&D Lina Gálvez   ESP
Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection IMCO 45 G /
EFA
Anna Cavazzini   GER RE Andrus Ansip   EST
S&D Maria Grapini   ROM
EPP Krzysztof Hetman   POL
S&D Maria Manuel Leitão Marques   POR
Committee on Transport and Tourism TRAN 49 G /
EFA
Karima Delli   FRA S&D István Ujhelyi   HUN
EPP Jens Gieseke   GER
S&D Andris Ameriks   LAT
RE Jan-Christoph Oetjen   GER
Committee on Regional Development REGI 43 GUE
/
NGL
Younous Omarjee   FRA EPP Krzysztof Hetman   POL
RE Vlad-Marius Botoş   ROM
S&D Adrian-Dragoş Benea   ROM S&D Nora Mebarek   FRA
EPP Isabel Benjumea Benjumea   ESP
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development AGRI 48 EPP Norbert Lins   GER G /
EFA
Francisco Guerreiro   POR G /
EFA
Benoît Biteau   FRA
EPP Daniel Buda   ROM
ECR Mazaly Aguilar   ESP
RE Elsi Katainen   FIN
Committee on Fisheries PECH 28 RE Pierre Karleskind   FRA EPP Peter van Dalen   NED
RE Søren Gade   DEN
S&D Giuseppe Ferrandino   ITA
EPP Maria da Graça Carvalho   POR
Committee on Culture and Education CULT 31 EPP Sabine Verheyen   GER G /
EFA
Romeo Franz   GER
ECR Dace Melbārde   LAT
S&D Victor Negrescu   ROM
EPP Milan Zver   SVN EPP Michaela Šojdrová   CZE
Committee on Legal Affairs JURI 25 RE Adrián Vázquez Lázara   ESP G /
EFA
Sergey Lagodinsky   GER
EPP Marion Walsmann   GER
S&D Iban García del Blanco   ESP S&D Lara Wolters   NED
ECR Raffaele Stancanelli   ITA
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs LIBE 69 S&D Juan Fernando López Aguilar   ESP RE Maite Pagazaurtundúa   ESP
S&D Pietro Bartolo   ITA
EPP Andrzej Halicki   POL
EPP Emil Radev   BUL
Committee on Constitutional Affairs AFCO 28 EPP Antonio Tajani   ITA S&D Gabriele Bischoff   GER
RE Charles Goerens   LUX
S&D Giuliano Pisapia   ITA
EPP Lóránt Vincze   ROM
Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality FEMM 37 S&D Evelyn Regner   AUT S&D Robert Biedroń   POL GUE
/
NGL
María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop   ESP
G /
EFA
Sylwia Spurek   POL
EPP Eliza Vozemberg   GRE
S&D Robert Biedroń   POL S&D Radka Maxová   CZE
Committee on Petitions PETI 35 EPP Dolors Montserrat   ESP G /
EFA
Tatjana Ždanoka   LAT
RE Yana Toom   EST
ECR Ryszard Czarnecki   POL
S&D Cristina Maestre   ESP S&D Alex Agius Saliba   MLT
Sources:[3][4][5][6]

Temporary committees edit

Under Rules 175 and 176 the European Parliament may at any time set up temporary committees for specific reports for an initial period of no longer than 12 months. Examples of such temporary committees have been:

On 25 April 2007 MEPs voted to set up a temporary committee on climate change. The committee will have a year to come up with proposals on the EU's future integrated climate-change policy, to co-ordinate the EP's position in this field, to assess the latest evidence on climate change and to evaluate the cost of action.[7]

Following the 2009 elections, in light of the Late 2000s recession, Parliament set up a Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis.

Delegations edit

MEPs also compose delegations to various Parliaments outside of the European Union. Joint parliamentary committees are set up with candidate countries. There are also delegations to the ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly[8] the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly and the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly.[9]

Conference of Committee Chairs and Conference of Delegation Chairs edit

Two major bodies in the Parliament are the Conference of Committee Chairs (CCC) and the Conference of Delegation Chairs (CDC). The Conference of Committee Chairs is the political body in Parliament that works for better cooperation between the committees and consists of the chairs of all the standing and special committees. The Conference of Delegation Chairs is the political body in Parliament that periodically considers all matters concerning the smooth running of interparliamentary delegations and delegations to the joint parliamentary committees. They may make recommendations to the Conference of Presidents and can be instructed to carry out particular tasks by the Bureau or Conference of Presidents.[10][11]

References edit

  1. ^ "Greens back Farage in row over EU Parliament chairman". Euractiv. 4 July 2014. The appointment of committee chairs follows the D'Hondt system – named after the Belgian mathematician who designed the method – which allocates positions on the basis of political groups' size. However, the precise allocation of seats may shift until the last minute, as political horse-trading continues between the main political groups.
  2. ^ "Parliament updates the composition of its committees and subcommittees". European Parliament. 20 January 2022.
  3. ^ "About Parliament | Committees | European Parliament". European Parliament. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. ^ "Parliamentary committees | Committees | European Parliament". European Parliament. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Parliament's committee membership determined | News | European Parliament". European Parliament. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Parliament's committees elect chairs and vice chairs | News | European Parliament". European Parliament. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  7. ^ Temporary Committee on Climate Change
  8. ^ Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly
  9. ^ Delegations
  10. ^ Conference of Committee Chairs
  11. ^ Conference of Delegation Chairs Archived 31 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine

External links edit