6.4.95 IENIOfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL78/1
I
(Actswhosepublicationisobligatory)
DECISIONOFTHEEUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ,THECOUNCILANDTHE
COMMISSION
of6March1995
onthedetailedprovisionsgoverningtheexerciseoftheEuropeanParliament'srightofinquiry
downbythisDecision,inaccordancewithArticle20bof
theECSCTreaty,Article138coftheECTreatyand
Article107boftheEAECTreaty.THEEUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ,THECOUNCILAND
THECOMMISSION ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
CoalandSteelCommunity,andinparticularArticle20b
thereof,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
Community,andinparticularArticle138cthereof,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
AtomicEnergyCommunity,andinparticularArticle
107bthereof,
Whereasthedetailedprovisionsgoverningtheexercise
oftheEuropeanParliament'srightofinquiryshouldbe
determinedwithdueregardfortheprovisionslaiddown
bytheTreatiesestablishingtheEuropeanCommunities ;
Whereastemporarycommitteesofinquirymusthavethe
meansnecessarytoperformtheirduties;whereas,tothat
end,itisessentialthattheMemberStatesandtheinsti­
tutionsandbodiesoftheEuropeanCommunitiestakeall
stepstofacilitatetheperformanceofthoseduties;
Whereasthesecrecyandconfidentiality ofthe
proceedingsoftemporarycommitteesofinquirymustbe
protected;
Whereas,attherequestofoneofthethreeinstitutions
concerned,thedetailedprovisionsgoverningtheexercise
oftherightofinquirymayberevisedasfromtheendof
thecurrenttermoftheEuropeanParliamentinthelight
ofexperience,Article2
1.Subjecttotheconditionsandlimitslaiddownby
theTreatiesreferredtoinArticle1andinthecourseof
itsduties,theEuropeanParliamentmay,attherequest
ofone-quarterofitsMembers,setupatemporary
committeeofinquirytoinvestigateallegedcontra­
ventionsormaladministration intheimplementation of
Communitylawwhichwouldappeartobetheactofan
institutionorabodyoftheEuropeanCommunities,ofa
publicadministrative bodyofaMemberStateorof
personsempoweredbyCommunitylawtoimplement
thatlaw.
TheEuropeanParliamentshalldeterminethe
compositionandrulesofprocedureoftemporary
committeesofinquiry.
Thedecisiontosetupatemporarycommitteeofinquiry,
specifyinginparticularitspurposeandthetimelimitfor
submissionofitsreport,shallbepublishedintheOfficial
JournaloftheEuropeanCommunities .
2.Thetemporarycommitteeofinquiryshallcarryout
itsdutiesincompliancewiththepowersconferredbythe
TreatiesontheinstitutionsandbodiesoftheEuropean
Communities .
Themembersofthetemporarycommitteeofinquiryand
anyotherpersonswho,byreasonoftheirduties,have
becomeacquaintedwithfacts,information,knowledge,
documentsorobjectsinrespectofwhichsecrecymustbe
observedpursuanttoprovisionsadoptedbyaMember
StateorbyaCommunityinstitutionshallberequired,
evenaftertheirdutieshaveceased,tokeepthemsecret
fromanyunauthorizedpersonandfromthepublic.
Hearingsandtestimonyshalltakeplaceinpublic.
Proceedingsshalltakeplaceincameraifrequestedby
one-quarterofthemembersofthecommitteeofinquiry,HAVEBYCOMMONACCORDADOPTEDTHIS
DECISION :
Article1
Thedetailedprovisionsgoverningtheexerciseofthe
EuropeanParliament'srightofinquiryshallbeaslaid

NoL78/2 IENIOfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 6.4.95
theGovernmentofaMemberStatetodesignateoneof
itsmemberstotakepartinitsproceedings .orbytheCommunityornationalauthorities,orwhere
thetemporarycommitteeofinquiryisconsideringsecret
information .Witnessesandexpertsshallhavetherightto
makeastatementorprovidetestimonyincamera.
3.Onareasonedrequestfromthetemporary
committeeofinquiry,theMemberStatesconcernedand
theinstitutionsorbodiesoftheEuropeanCommunities
shalldesignatetheofficialorservantwhomthey
authorizetoappearbeforethetemporarycommitteeof
inquiry,unlessgroundsofsecrecyorpublicornational
securitydictateotherwisebyvirtueofnationalor
Communitylegislation.3.Atemporarycommitteeofinquirymaynotinves­
tigatemattersatissuebeforeanationalorCommunity
courtoflawuntilsuchtimeasthelegalproceedingshave
beencompleted.
Theofficialsorservantsinquestionshallspeakonbehalf
ofandasinstructedbytheirGovernmentsorinstitutions.
Theyshallcontinuetobeboundbytheobligations
arisingfromtherulestowhichtheyaresubject.Withinaperiodoftwomonthseitherofpublicationin
accordancewithparagraph 1oroftheCommission
beinginformedofanallegationmadebeforea
temporarycommitteeofinquiryofacontravention of
CommunitylawbyaMemberState,theCommission
maynotifytheEuropeanParliamentthatamattertobe
examinedbyatemporarycommitteeofinquiryisthe
subjectofaCommunityprelitigationprocedure;insuch
casesthetemporarycommitteeofinquiryshalltakeall
necessarystepstoenabletheCommissionfullyto
exercisethepowersconferredonitbytheTreaties.4.TheauthoritiesoftheMemberStatesandtheinsti­
tutionsorbodiesoftheEuropeanCommunitiesshall
provideatemporarycommitteeofinquiry,whereitso
requestsorontheirowninitiative,withthedocuments
necessaryfortheperformanceofitsduties,savewhere
preventedfromdoingsobyreasonsofsecrecyorpublic
ornationalsecurityarisingoutofnationalor
Communitylegislationorrules.4.Thetemporarycommitteeofinquiryshallceaseto
existonthesubmissionofitsreportwithinthetimelimit
laiddownwhenitwassetup,oratthelatestupon
expiryofaperiodnotexceeding12monthsfromthe
datewhenitwassetup,andinanyeventatthecloseof
theparliamentary term.5.Paragraphs3and4shallbewithoutprejudiceto
anyotherprovisionsoftheMemberStateswhich
prohibitofficialsfromappearingordocumentsfrom
beingforwarded.
BymeansofareasoneddecisiontheEuropean
Parliamentmaytwiceextendthe12-monthperiodby
threemonths.Suchadecisionshallbepublishedinthe
OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities .Anobstaclearisingfromreasonsofsecrecy,publicor
nationalsecurityortheprovisionsreferredtointhefirst
subparagraph shallbenotifiedtotheEuropean
Parliamentbyarepresentativeauthorizedtocommitthe
GovernmentoftheMemberStateconcernedortheinsti­
tution. 5.Atemporarycommitteeofinquirymaynotbeset
uporre-establishedwithregardtomattersintowhichan
inquiryhasalreadybeenheldbyatemporarycommittee
ofinquiryuntilatleast12monthshaveelapsedsincethe
submissionofthereportonthatinquiryortheendofits
assignmentandunlessanynewfactshaveemerged.6.InstitutionsorbodiesoftheEuropeanCommunities
shallnotsupplythetemporarycommitteeofinquirywith
documentsoriginatinginaMemberStatewithoutfirst
informingtheStateconcerned.
Article3
1.Thetemporarycommitteeofinquiryshallcarryout
theinquiriesnecessarytoverifyallegedcontraventions or
maladministration intheimplementation ofCommunity
lawundertheconditionslaiddownbelow.Theyshallnotcommunicatetothetemporarycommittee
ofinquiryanydocumentstowhichparagraph5applies
withoutfirstobtainingtheconsentoftheMemberState
concerned .
7.Paragraphs3,4and5shallapplytonaturalorlegal
personsempoweredbyCommunitylawtoimplement
thatlaw.2.Thetemporarycommitteeofinquirymayinvitean
institutionorabodyoftheEuropeanCommunitiesor

6.4.95 EN OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL78/3
8.Insofarasisnecessaryfortheperformanceofits
duties,thetemporarycommitteeofinquirymayrequest
anyotherpersontogiveevidencebeforeit.The
temporarycommitteeofinquiryshallinformanyperson
namedinthecourseofaninquirytowhomthismight
proveprejudicial;itshallhearsuchapersonifthat
personsorequests.
Article4
1.Theinformationobtainedbythetemporary
committeeofinquiryshallbeusedsolelyforthe
performanceofitsduties.Itmaynotbemadepublicifit
containsmaterialofasecretorconfidentialnatureor
namespersons.
TheEuropeanParliamentshalladopttheadministrative
measuresandproceduralrulesrequiredtoprotectthe
secrecyandconfidentiality oftheproceedingsof
temporarycommitteesofinquiry.
2.Thetemporarycommitteeofinquiry'sreportshall
besubmittedtotheEuropeanParliament,whichmay
decidetomakeitpublicsubjecttotheprovisionsof
paragraph 1.3.TheEuropeanParliamentmayforwardtotheinsti­
tutionsorbodiesoftheEuropeanCommunitiesortothe
MemberStatesanyrecommendations whichitadoptson
thebasisofthetemporarycommitteeofinquiry'sreport.
Theyshalldrawtherefromtheconclusionswhichthey
deemappropriate .
Article5
Anycommunication addressedtothenationalauthorities
oftheMemberStatesforthepurposesofapplying
thisDecisionshallbemadethroughtheirPermanent
Representations totheEuropeanUnion.
Article6
AttherequestoftheEuropeanParliament,theCouncil
ortheCommission ,theaboverulesmayberevisedas
fromtheendofthecurrenttermoftheEuropean
Parliamentinthelightofexperience .
Article7
ThisDecisionshallenterintoforceonthedayofits
publicationintheOfficialJournaloftheEuropean
Communities .
DoneatBrusselsonthesixthdayofMarchintheyearonethousandninehundredand
ninety-five.
FortheEuropeanParliament
ThePresident
KlausHANSCHFortheCouncil
ThePresident
AlainJUPPÉFortheCommission
ThePresident
JacquesSANTER