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 chairman and four vice-chairmen, along with numerous committee members. Each committee also has substitute members.

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

Appointment

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

Legislative reports

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

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

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

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 chairman and draftsman 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

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 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

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

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

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

  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
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