REVISION OF THE EP RULES OF PROCEDURE
On 16 July 2024, the European Parliament’s new Rules of Procedure entered into force. The Key Reforms are the following:
- Streamlined Legislative Procedures:
- Clearer committee competences to expedite file attribution.
- Temporary legislative committees for cross-cutting issues.
- Simplified or accelerated procedures for committees.
- Limited use of urgent procedure in plenary.
- New rule to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the use of Article 122 TFEU, (economic crises within the EU).
- Enhanced Budgetary Control:
- Mandatory budgetary assessment for proposals with budgetary implications.
- Budgetary Control Committee involvement in non-traditional financial instruments.
- Improved Scrutiny of the Commission:
- New format for “special scrutiny hearings” on major political issues.
- Clarified rules for “confirmation hearings” of Commissioners-designate.
- New plenary debate format and speaking-time rules.
Overall, the reforms aim to make the European Parliament more efficient, accountable, and effective in its legislative and oversight functions.
You can find useful documents at the links below:
– Rules of Procedure – LINK
– Briefing “The European Parliament’s new Rules of Procedure: Parliament 2024 reforms” – LINK
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS OF THE COMMISSIONERS-DESIGNATE
The confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate will start on 4 November and take place until 12 November. You can find some useful documents at the links below:
– Programme for the confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate – LINK
– Division of responsibilities among committees for the confirmation hearings of the Commissioners-designate – LINK
– Questionnaire to the Commissioner-Designate Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms – LINK
EUROPEAN CITIZENS’ INITIATIVES
On 11 September 2024, two new ECIs have been registered by the EU Commission:
– ECI for a Water-Smart and Resilient Europe – LINK
– PsychedeliCare – LINK
Moreover, EU Citizens are calling on the European Parliament to prioritise the End the Cage Age ECI in its legislative work. As the European Commission postponed its proposal on cage-free farming initially due at the end of 2023, many people have written to the European Parliament on this subject since July 2024. More information at the following LINK.