European Parliament Rules of Procedure

SUMMARY OF:

Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament

SUMMARY

WHAT DO THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE DO?

• They establish the internal organisation and workings of the EU’s only pan-European directly-elected institution. Under Article 232 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the European Parliament has the power to adopt its own rules of procedure.
• The 300-page document covers all procedural aspects of parliamentary works. It is regularly updated (latest version: September 2015).

KEY POINTS

The rules cover the following aspects of parliamentary life.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs):

• must exercise their mandate independently;
• enjoy certain privileges and immunities;
• must respect the MEPs’ statute adopted in 2005 and several other legal obligations, including rules on the transparency of their financial interests.

Parliamentary officers

MEPs elect the president, 14 vice-presidents and 5 quaestors by secret ballot for a term of 2.5 years.

• The president:
  • has overall direction of the Parliament and its various operations;
  • represents Parliament;
  • ensures observance of the rules and maintains order;
  • opens, suspends and closes sittings, chairs the debates and supervises voting;
  • rules on the admissibility of amendments, on questions and on conformity of reports; and
  • refers to parliamentary committees matters that concern them.
• Vice-presidents have specific responsibilities and replace the president when necessary.
• Quaestors are responsible for administrative and financial matters directly concerning MEPs.
• The Bureau consists of the president and 14 vice-presidents. It decides on financial, organisational and administrative matters affecting the Parliament.
• The Conference of Presidents consists of the Parliament’s president and the presidents of the political groups (see below). It organises the Parliament’s political work and decides legislative planning.
• The Conference of Committee Chairs consists of the chairs of all standing and special parliamentary committees. It may make recommendations on committee work and plenary session agendas.
• The Conference of Delegation Chairs consists of the chairs of all Parliament delegations to parliaments elsewhere in the world. It may make recommendations on the work of delegations.
• Political groups are formed by MEPs on the basis of their political affinities. A minimum of 25 MEPs, elected in at least a quarter of EU countries, is required to form a group. They receive financial and administrative support depending on their size.
• Some MEPs do not belong to a political group. They receive support for their parliamentary activities.
• Individual MEPs from different political groups may form a cross-party intergroup on specific issues such as animal welfare or public health.

Legislative procedures

• ordinary legislative procedures (1st, 2nd and 3rd readings), where Parliament acts as co-legislator with the Council;
• consultation procedures, where Parliament submits an opinion on a draft legal act;
• consent procedures, where Parliament’s agreement is necessary before adoption of a legal act.

In the course of those legislative procedures, Parliament pays specific attention to issues like the respect for fundamental rights, the legal basis, the delegation of legislative powers, the financial compatibility and the respect for subsidiarity.

Own-initiative procedures

• In the case of legislative own-initiative reports, Parliament requests the Commission to submit proposals.
• Parliament can also prepare non-legislative own-initiative reports on specific subject matters:
  • Constitutional matters, where rules cover the Parliament’s role when the EU’s treaties are amended, a new country joins the EU or a country decides to leave the EU.
  • Budgetary procedures, where rules cover both the consideration of the annual EU budget and its multiannual financial framework.
  • International agreements, where the Parliament’s approval or opinion is required for international agreements. It may be consulted on aspects of the EU’s common foreign and security policy.

Relations with other EU institutions and bodies

• Parliament
  • elects the Commission President and the whole Commission
  • may adopt a motion of censure against the Commission
  • is involved in appointments to institutions like the European Central Bank and the Court of Auditors.

Parliamentary questions

• MEPs may table written questions to the European Council President, the Council, the Commission or the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. They can also table oral questions, which are followed by a debate, to the Council or the Commission.

Relations with national parliaments

• Parliament keeps national parliaments regularly informed of its activities. MEPs and national MPs meet occasionally in the Conference of European Affairs Committee.

Sessions of Parliament

• Parliament holds 4-day plenary part-sessions almost every month in Strasbourg and additional part-sessions in Brussels.
• Detailed rules cover issues such as speaking time, use of languages, distribution of documents, voting and sanctions for misbehaviour.

Committees

• Standing committees prepare Parliament’s decisions at plenary level by submitting reports and other documents in their specific field of competence.
• Special committees may be established for a given term and a specific subject area.
• Committees of inquiry may be set up to investigate alleged contraventions of EU law or possible maladministration.

Interparliamentary delegations

• Parliament establishes joint committees with national parliaments around the world and cooperates with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Petitions

• Any EU citizen may address a petition to Parliament on a matter which comes within the EU’s fields of activity and which affects the petitioner directly.

ACT

Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament

last update 21.03.2016