Committee Work in Focus Virpi Kykk ENVI Secretariat European - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Committee Work in Focus Virpi Köykkä ENVI Secretariat

European Parliament • 785 members • 3 places of work • 23 languages • 4800 civil servants • 550 political group officials • 1500 assistants

Parliament‘s Powers Legislation - co-decision with Council Budgetary power - together with Council on Community expenditure Control of the Commission Political power

Division of Work (1): Political groups Organise the political work in the European Parliament Traditional left - right division + special European features Currently seven groups Own secretariats

Division of Work (2): Standing Committees Organise the work of the Parliament on different policies Examples: Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Budgets Secretariats: permanent civil servants

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety 68 members and 68 substitutes from all Member States prepares Parliament's positions for final adoption in plenary on the environment, public health and food safety Parliament's busiest legislative committee meets 1-2 times per month in Brussels, open meetings Further documentation on http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/envi/default_en.htm

Procedure in Committee 1 A Commission proposal arrives to EP and to Council simultaneously In EP, referral to the competent committee Committee coordinators decide on the rapporteurship (political group) Group decides on person , ‘rapporteur’ Other groups appoint 'shadow rapporteurs' Committee secretariat appoints a responsible administrator

Procedure in Committee 2 Rapporteur prepares a draft report Committee discusses the text All members may table amendments, other committees may adopt opinions Draft report and amendments are voted Adopted text is tabled to Plenary Plenary debates and adopts the report FINAL EP POSITION

Role of the committee secretariat General support to the rapporteur Procedural and legal scrutiny Technical preparation of documents, reception of amendments, preparation of voting list Inter-institutional contacts (Commission, Council Secretariat, Presidency) Organisation of meetings Dissemination of information

Nothing is permanent but change: The new Lisbon Treaty EP elections 2009 Further enlargements …

More information: www.europarl.europa.eu Thank you for your attention!