RULES OF PROCEDURE

9th parliamentary term

July 2019

Note to the reader:

In accordance with Parliament's decisions on the use of gender-neutral language in its documents, the Rules of Procedure have been adapted to take account of the guidelines on that subject approved by the High Level Group on Gender Equality and Diversity on 11 April 2018.

Interpretations of the Rules (pursuant to Rule 236) are shown in italic script.

CONTENTS

TITLE I MEMBERS, PARLIAMENT BODIES AND POLITICAL GROUPS 11

CHAPTER 1 MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 11

Rule 1 European Parliament 11

Rule 2 Independent mandate 12

Rule 3 Verification of credentials 12

Rule 4 Term of office of Members 13

Rule 5 Privileges and immunities 13

Rule 6 Waiver of immunity 14

Rule 7 Defence of privileges and immunity 14

Rule 8 Urgent action by the President to assert immunity 15

Rule 9 Procedures on immunity 15

Rule 10 Standards of conduct 16

Rule 11 Members' financial interests and Transparency register 17

Rule 12 Internal investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) 18

Rule 13 Observers 18

CHAPTER 2 OFFICERS OF PARLIAMENT 18

Rule 14 Provisional Chair 18

Rule 15 Nominations and general provisions 18

Rule 16 Election of President — opening address 19

Rule 17 Election of Vice-Presidents 19

Rule 18 Election of Quaestors 19

Rule 19 Term of office of Officers 19

Rule 20 Vacancies 20

Rule 21 Early termination of an office 20

CHAPTER 3 BODIES AND DUTIES 20

Rule 22 Duties of the President 20

Rule 23 Duties of the Vice-Presidents 20

Rule 24 Composition of the Bureau 21

Rule 25 Duties of the Bureau 21

Rule 26 Composition of the Conference of Presidents 22

Rule 27 Duties of the Conference of Presidents 22

Rule 28 Duties of the Quaestors 23

Rule 29 Conference of Committee Chairs 23

Rule 30 Conference of Delegation Chairs 23

Rule 31 Continuity of an office during the election period 23

Rule 32 Accountability of the Bureau and the Conference of Presidents 23

CHAPTER 4 POLITICAL GROUPS 23

Rule 33 Establishment and dissolution of political groups 23

Rule 34 Activities and legal situation of the political groups 24

Rule 35 Intergroups 25

Rule 36 Non-attached Members 25

Rule 37 Allocation of seats in the Chamber 25

TITLE II LEGISLATIVE, BUDGETARY, DISCHARGE AND OTHER PROCEDURES 26

CHAPTER 1 LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURES — GENERAL PROVISIONS 26

Rule 38 Annual programming 26

Rule 39 Respect for fundamental rights 26

Rule 40 Verification of legal basis 27

Rule 41 Delegation of legislative powers and conferral of implementing powers 27

Rule 42 Verification of financial compatibility 27

Rule 43 Examination of respect for the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality 28

Rule 44 Access to documents and provision of information to Parliament 28

Rule 45 Representation of Parliament in Council meetings 28

Rule 46 Right of Parliament to submit proposals 28

Rule 47 Requests to the Commission for submission of proposals 29

Rule 48 Consideration of legally binding acts 29

Rule 49 Acceleration of legislative procedures 30

Rule 50 Legislative procedures on initiatives originating from institutions other than the Commission or from Member States 30

CHAPTER 2 PROCEDURE IN COMMITTEE 30

Rule 51 Legislative reports 30

Rule 52 Simplified procedure 31

Rule 53 Non-legislative reports 31

Rule 54 Own-initiative reports 31

Rule 55 Drafting of reports 32

Rule 56 Opinions of committees 32

Rule 57 Associated committee procedure 33

Rule 58 Joint committee procedure 34

CHAPTER 3 ORDINARY LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE 34

SECTION 1 — FIRST READING 34

Rule 59 Vote in Parliament — first reading 34

Rule 60 Referral back to the committee responsible 35

Rule 61 Renewed referral to Parliament 36

Rule 62 First-reading agreement 36

SECTION 2 — SECOND READING 36

Rule 63 Communication of the Council's position 36

Rule 64 Extension of time limits 36

Rule 65 Procedure in the committee responsible 37

Rule 66 Submission to Parliament 37

Rule 67 Vote in Parliament — second reading 37

Rule 68 Admissibility of amendments to the Council's position 38

Rule 69 Second-reading agreement 38

SECTION 3 — INTERINSTITUTIONAL NEGOTIATIONS DURING THE ORDINARY LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE 39

Rule 70 General provisions 39

Rule 71 Negotiations ahead of Parliament's first reading 39

Rule 72 Negotiations ahead of Council's first reading 39

Rule 73 Negotiations ahead of Parliament's second reading 39

Rule 74 Conduct of negotiations 40

SECTION 4 — CONCILIATION AND THIRD READING 40

Rule 75 Extension of time limits 40

Rule 76 Convening of the Conciliation Committee 40

Rule 77 Delegation to the Conciliation Committee 40

Rule 78 Joint text 41

SECTION 5 — CONCLUSION OF THE PROCEDURE 41

Rule 79 Signing and publication of adopted acts 41

CHAPTER 4 PROVISIONS SPECIFIC TO THE CONSULTATION PROCEDURE 41

Rule 80 Modified proposal for a legally binding act 41

Rule 81 Commission position on amendments 42

Rule 82 Vote in Parliament 42

Rule 83 Follow-up to Parliament's position 42

Rule 84 Renewed referral to Parliament 42

CHAPTER 5 CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 42

Rule 85 Ordinary Treaty revision 42

Rule 86 Simplified Treaty revision 43

Rule 87 Accession treaties 43

Rule 88 Withdrawal from the Union 43

Rule 89 Breach by a Member State of fundamental principles and values 44

Rule 90 Composition of Parliament 44

Rule 91 Enhanced cooperation between Member States 44

CHAPTER 6 BUDGETARY PROCEDURES 45

Rule 92 Multiannual financial framework 45

Rule 93 Annual budgetary procedure 45

Rule 94 Parliament's position on the draft budget 45

Rule 95 Budgetary conciliation 46

Rule 96 Definitive adoption of the budget 46

Rule 97 Provisional twelfths system 46

Rule 98 Implementation of the budget 47

Rule 99 Discharge to the Commission in respect of implementation of the budget 47

Rule 100 Other discharge procedures 47

Rule 101 Interinstitutional cooperation 47

CHAPTER 7 INTERNAL BUDGETARY PROCEDURES 47

Rule 102 Estimates of Parliament 47

Rule 103 Procedure to be applied when drawing up Parliament's estimates 48

Rule 104 Power to incur and settle expenditure, to approve accounts and to grant discharge 48

CHAPTER 8 CONSENT PROCEDURE 48

Rule 105 Consent procedure 48

CHAPTER 9 OTHER PROCEDURES 49

Rule 106 Procedure for delivering opinions on derogations to the adoption of the euro 49

Rule 107 Procedures relating to dialogue between management and labour 49

Rule 108 Procedures for scrutiny of envisaged voluntary agreements 49

Rule 109 Codification 50

Rule 110 Recasting 50

CHAPTER 10 DELEGATED AND IMPLEMENTING ACTS 51

Rule 111 Delegated acts 51

Rule 112 Implementing acts and measures 52

Rule 113 Consideration under the associated committee procedure or the joint committee procedure 53

TITLE III EXTERNAL RELATIONS 53

CHAPTER 1 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS 53

Rule 114 International agreements 53

Rule 115 Provisional application or suspension of the application of international agreements or establishment of the Union's position in a body set up by an international agreement 54

CHAPTER 2 EXTERNAL REPRESENTATION OF THE UNION AND THE COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY 55

Rule 116 Special representatives 55

Rule 117 International representation 55

CHAPTER 3 RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE UNION'S EXTERNAL ACTION 55

Rule 118 Recommendations on the Union's external policies 55

Rule 119 Consultation of, and provision of information to, Parliament within the framework of the common foreign and security policy 56

Rule 120 Breach of human rights 56

TITLE IV TRANSPARENCY OF BUSINESS 56

Rule 121 Transparency of Parliament's activities 56

Rule 122 Public access to documents 56

Rule 123 Access to Parliament 57

TITLE V RELATIONS WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES 58

CHAPTER 1 APPOINTMENTS 58

Rule 124 Election of the President of the Commission 58

Rule 125 Election of the Commission 58

Rule 126 Multiannual programming 59

Rule 127 Motion of censure on the Commission 59

Rule 128 Nomination of Judges and Advocates-General at the Court of Justice of the European Union 60

Rule 129 Appointment of the Members of the Court of Auditors 60

Rule 130 Appointment of the Members of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank 60

Rule 131 Appointments to the economic governance bodies 60

CHAPTER 2 STATEMENTS 61

Rule 132 Statements by the Commission, Council and European Council 61

Rule 133 Statements explaining Commission decisions 61

Rule 134 Statements by the Court of Auditors 62

Rule 135 Statements by the European Central Bank 62

CHAPTER 3 PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS 62

Rule 136 Questions for oral answer with debate 62

Rule 137 Question Time 63

Rule 138 Questions for written answer 63

Rule 139 Major interpellations for written answer 64

Rule 140 Questions for written answer to the European Central Bank 64

Rule 141 Questions for written answer concerning the Single Supervisory Mechanism and the Single Resolution Mechanism 64

CHAPTER 4 REPORTS OF OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES 65

Rule 142 Annual and other reports of other institutions or bodies 65

CHAPTER 5 RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 65

Rule 143 Motions for resolutions 65

Rule 144 Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law 66

CHAPTER 6 CONSULTATION OF OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES 67

Rule 145 Consultation of the European Economic and Social Committee 67

Rule 146 Consultation of the Committee of the Regions 67

Rule 147 Requests to European Agencies 67

CHAPTER 7 INTERINSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENTS 67

Rule 148 Interinstitutional agreements 67

CHAPTER 8 REFERRALS TO THE COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 68

Rule 149 Proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union 68

TITLE VI RELATIONS WITH NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS 69

Rule 150 Exchange of information, contacts and reciprocal facilities 69

Rule 151 Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) 69

Rule 152 Conferences of parliaments 69

TITLE VII SESSIONS 70

CHAPTER 1 SESSIONS OF PARLIAMENT 70

Rule 153 Parliamentary term, sessions, part-sessions, sittings 70

Rule 154 Convening of Parliament 70

Rule 155 Venue of sittings and meetings 70

Rule 156 Attendance of Members at sittings 70

CHAPTER 2 ORDER OF BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT 71

Rule 157 Draft agenda 71

Rule 158 Adopting and amending the agenda 71

Rule 159 Procedure in plenary without amendment and debate 71

Rule 160 Short presentation 72

Rule 161 Extraordinary debate 72

Rule 162 Topical debate requested by a political group 72

Rule 163 Urgent procedure 73

Rule 164 Joint debate 73

Rule 165 Time limits 73

CHAPTER 3 GENERAL RULES FOR THE CONDUCT OF SITTINGS 73

Rule 166 Access to the Chamber 73

Rule 167 Languages 73

Rule 168 Transitional arrangement 74

Rule 169 Distribution of documents 74

Rule 170 Electronic handling of documents 74

Rule 171 Allocation of speaking time and list of speakers 74

Rule 172 One-minute speeches 75

Rule 173 Personal statements 76

Rule 174 Prevention of obstruction 76

CHAPTER 4 MEASURES TO BE TAKEN IN THE EVENT OF NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE STANDARDS OF CONDUCT OF MEMBERS 76

Rule 175 Immediate measures 76

Rule 176 Penalties 77

Rule 177 Internal appeal procedures 78

CHAPTER 5 QUORUM, AMENDMENTS AND VOTING 78

Rule 178 Quorum 78

Rule 179 Thresholds 78

Rule 180 Tabling and presenting amendments 79

Rule 181 Admissibility of amendments 80

Rule 182 Voting procedure 81

Rule 183 Order of voting on amendments 81

Rule 184 Committee filter of plenary amendments 82

Rule 185 Split voting 82

Rule 186 Right to vote 82

Rule 187 Voting 82

Rule 188 Final vote 83

Rule 189 Tied votes 83

Rule 190 Voting by roll call 83

Rule 191 Voting by secret ballot 84

Rule 192 Use of electronic voting system 84

Rule 193 Disputes on voting 84

Rule 194 Explanations of votes 84

CHAPTER 6 POINTS OF ORDER AND PROCEDURAL MOTIONS 85

Rule 195 Points of order 85

Rule 196 Procedural motions 85

Rule 197 Motions calling for a matter to be declared inadmissible 86

Rule 198 Referral back to committee 86

Rule 199 Closure of a debate 86

Rule 200 Adjournment of a debate or vote 86

Rule 201 Suspension or closure of the sitting 87

CHAPTER 7 PUBLIC RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 87

Rule 202 Minutes 87

Rule 203 Texts adopted 87

Rule 204 Verbatim reports 88

Rule 205 Audiovisual record of proceedings 88

TITLE VIII COMMITTEES AND DELEGATIONS 88

CHAPTER 1 COMMITTEES 88

Rule 206 Setting-up of standing committees 88

Rule 207 Special committees 88

Rule 208 Committees of inquiry 89

Rule 209 Composition of committees 90

Rule 210 Duties of committees 91

Rule 211 Questions of competence 91

Rule 212 Subcommittees 91

Rule 213 Committee bureaux 91

Rule 214 Committee coordinators 92

Rule 215 Shadow Rapporteurs 92

Rule 216 Committee meetings 92

Rule 217 Minutes of committee meetings 93

Rule 218 Voting in committee 93

Rule 219 Provisions concerning plenary sittings applicable in committee 93

Rule 220 Question Time in committee 93

Rule 221 Procedure for the consultation by a committee of confidential information in a committee meeting in camera 94

Rule 222 Public hearings and debates on citizens' initiatives 94

CHAPTER 2 INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS 95

Rule 223 Setting-up and duties of interparliamentary delegations 95

Rule 224 Joint parliamentary committees 96

Rule 225 Cooperation with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 96

TITLE IX PETITIONS 96

Rule 226 Right of petition 96

Rule 227 Examination of petitions 98

Rule 228 Fact-finding visits 98

Rule 229 Notice of petitions 99

Rule 230 Citizens' initiative 99

TITLE X OMBUDSMAN 99

Rule 231 Election of the Ombudsman 99

Rule 232 Activities of the Ombudsman 100

Rule 233 Dismissal of the Ombudsman 100

TITLE XI PARLIAMENT'S SECRETARIAT 101

Rule 234 Parliament's Secretariat 101

TITLE XII POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES RELATING TO EUROPEAN POLITICAL PARTIES AND EUROPEAN POLITICAL FOUNDATIONS 101

Rule 235 Powers and responsibilities relating to European political parties and European political foundations 101

TITLE XIII APPLICATION AND AMENDMENT OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE 102

Rule 236 Application of the Rules of Procedure 102

Rule 237 Amendment of the Rules of Procedure 103

TITLE XIV MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 103

Rule 238 The symbols of the Union 103

Rule 239 Gender Mainstreaming 103

Rule 240 Unfinished business 103

Rule 241 Corrigenda 104

ANNEX I CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WITH RESPECT TO FINANCIAL INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 105

ANNEX II CODE OF APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR FOR MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN EXERCISING THEIR DUTIES 109

ANNEX III CRITERIA FOR QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER UNDER RULES 138, 140 AND 141 110

ANNEX IV GUIDELINES AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES TO BE FOLLOWED WHEN CHOOSING THE SUBJECTS TO BE INCLUDED ON THE AGENDA FOR THE DEBATE ON CASES OF BREACHES OF HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRACY AND THE RULE OF LAW PROVIDED FOR UNDER RULE 144 111

ANNEX V PROCEDURE FOR THE CONSIDERATION AND ADOPTION OF DECISIONS ON THE GRANTING OF DISCHARGE 112

ANNEX VI POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF STANDING COMMITTEES 115

ANNEX VII APPROVAL OF THE COMMISSION AND MONITORING OF COMMITMENTS MADE DURING THE HEARINGS 124

ANNEX VIII REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DRAFTING OF ACTS ADOPTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ORDINARY LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE 128

TITLE I

MEMBERS, PARLIAMENT BODIES AND POLITICAL GROUPS

CHAPTER 1

Members of the European Parliament

Rule 1

European Parliament

1. The European Parliament is the assembly elected pursuant to the Treaties, the Act of 20 September 1976 concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage and national legislation deriving from the Treaties.

2. Persons elected to the European Parliament shall be referred to as: ‘Членове на Европейския парламент’ in Bulgarian, ‘Diputados al Parlamento Europeo’ in Spanish, ‘Poslanci Evropského parlamentu’ in Czech, ‘Medlemmer af Europa-Parlamentet’ in Danish, ‘Mitglieder des Europäischen Parlaments’ in German, ‘Euroopa Parlamendi liikmed’ in Estonian, ‘Βoυλευτές τoυ Ευρωπαϊκoύ Κoιvoβoυλίoυ’ in Greek, ‘Members of the European Parliament’ in English, ‘Députés au Parlement européen’ in French, ‘Feisirí de Pharlaimint na hEorpa’ in Irish, ‘Zastupnici u Europskom parlamentu’ in Croatian, ‘Deputati al Parlamento europeo’ in Italian, ‘Eiropas Parlamenta deputāti’ in Latvian, ‘Europos Parlamento nariai’ in Lithuanian, ‘Európai Parlamenti Képviselők’ in Hungarian, ‘Membri tal-Parlament Ewropew’ in Maltese, ‘Leden van het Europees Parlement’ in Dutch, ‘Posłowie do Parlamentu Europejskiego’ in Polish, ‘Deputados ao Parlamento Europeu’ in Portuguese, ‘Deputaţi în Parlamentul European’ in Romanian, ‘Poslanci Európskeho parlamentu’ in Slovak, ‘Poslanci Evropskega parlamenta’ in Slovenian, ‘Euroopan parlamentin jäsenet’ in Finnish, ‘Ledamöter av Europaparlamentet’ in Swedish.

Rule 2

Independent mandate

In accordance with Article 6(1) of the Act of 20 September 1976 and with Article 2(1) and Article 3(1) of the Statute for Members of the European Parliament, Members shall exercise their mandate freely and independently, shall not be bound by any instructions and shall not receive a binding mandate.

Rule 3

Verification of credentials

1. Following general elections to the European Parliament, the President shall invite the competent authorities of the Member States to notify Parliament without delay of the names of the elected Members so that all Members may take their seats in Parliament with effect from the opening of the first sitting following the elections. At the same time, the President shall draw the attention of those authorities to the relevant provisions of the Act of 20 September 1976 and invite them to take the necessary measures to avoid any incompatibility with the office of Member of the European Parliament.

2. Members whose election has been notified to Parliament shall declare in writing, before taking their seat in Parliament, that they do not hold any office incompatible with that of Member of the European Parliament within the meaning of Article 7(1) or (2) of the Act of 20 September 1976. Following general elections, the declaration shall be made, where possible, no later than six days prior to Parliament's first sitting following the elections. Until such time as Members' credentials have been verified or a ruling has been given on any dispute, and provided that they have previously signed the above-mentioned written declaration, they shall take their seat in Parliament and on its bodies and shall enjoy all the rights attaching thereto. Where it is established from facts verifiable from sources available to the public that a Member holds an office incompatible with that of Member of the European Parliament, within the meaning of Article 7(1) or (2) of the Act of 20 September 1976, Parliament, on the basis of the information provided by its President, shall establish that there is a vacancy.

3. On the basis of a report by the committee responsible, Parliament shall verify credentials without delay and rule on the validity of the mandate of each of its newly elected Members and also on any disputes referred to it pursuant to the provisions of the Act of 20 September 1976, other than those which, under that Act, fall exclusively under the national provisions to which that Act refers. The committee's report shall be based on the official notification by each Member State of the full results of the election, specifying the names of the candidates elected and those of any substitutes, together with their ranking in accordance with the results of the vote. The validity of the mandate of a Member may not be confirmed unless the written declarations required under this Rule and Annex I to these Rules of Procedure have been made.

4. On the basis of a proposal by the committee responsible, Parliament shall, without delay, verify the credentials of individual Members who are replacing outgoing Members and may at any time rule on any dispute as to the validity of the mandate of any of its Members.

5. Where the appointment of a Member is due to the withdrawal of candidates from the same list, the committee responsible shall ensure that the withdrawal in question has taken place in accordance with the spirit and the letter of the Act of 20 September 1976 and Rule 4(2).

6. The committee responsible shall ensure that any information which may affect the eligibility of the Member or the eligibility or the ranking of the substitutes is forwarded to Parliament without delay by the authorities of the Member States or of the Union, with, in the case of an appointment, an indication of the date on which it will take effect. Should the competent authorities of the Member States initiate a procedure which might lead to the disqualification of a Member from holding office, the President shall ask them to keep him or her regularly informed of the stage reached in the procedure and shall refer the matter to the committee responsible. On a proposal from that committee, Parliament may adopt a position on the matter.

Rule 4

Term of office of Members

1. A Member's term of office begins and ends as laid down in Articles 5 and 13 of the Act of 20 September 1976.

2. Members who resign shall notify the President of their resignation and of the date on which that resignation is to take effect, which may not be more than three months after notification. This notification shall take the form of an official record drawn up in the presence of the Secretary-General or his or her representative, signed by the latter and by the Member concerned and immediately submitted to the committee responsible, which shall enter it on the agenda of its first meeting following receipt of the document. If the committee responsible considers that the resignation is in compliance with the Act of 20 September 1976, a vacancy shall be declared with effect from the date indicated by the resigning Member in the official record, and the President shall inform Parliament thereof. If the committee responsible considers that the resignation is not in compliance with the Act of 20 September 1976, it shall propose to Parliament that it not declare a vacancy.

3. Where no meeting of the committee responsible is scheduled before the next part-session, the rapporteur of the committee responsible shall immediately examine any resignation that has been duly notified. Where delay in considering the notification would be prejudicial, the rapporteur shall refer the matter to the committee Chair, requesting, pursuant to paragraph 2, that: — the President be informed on behalf of the committee that a vacancy may be declared, or — an extraordinary meeting of the committee be convened to examine specific difficulties noted by the rapporteur.

4. Where either the competent authorities of the Member States or of the Union or the Member concerned notifies the President of an appointment or election to an office that is incompatible with the office of Member of the European Parliament within the meaning of Article 7(1) or (2) of the Act of 20 September 1976, the President shall inform Parliament thereof, and Parliament shall declare that a vacancy exists from the date of the incompatibility. Where the competent authorities of the Member States notify the President of the end of the term of office of a Member of the European Parliament as a result either of an additional incompatibility established by the law of that Member State in accordance with Article 7(3) of the Act of 20 September 1976 or of the withdrawal of the Member's mandate pursuant to Article 13(3) of that Act, the President shall inform Parliament that the term of office of that Member ended on the date communicated by competent authorities of the Member State. Where no such date is communicated, the date of the end of the term of office shall be the date of the notification by that Member State.

5. Where the authorities of the Member States or of the Union inform the President of an assignment they intend to entrust to a Member, the President shall refer to the committee responsible the question of the compatibility of the proposed assignment with the Act of 20 September 1976 and shall inform Parliament, the Member and the authorities concerned of the conclusions reached by that committee.

6. When Parliament has established a vacancy, the President shall inform the Member State concerned thereof, and invite it to fill the seat without delay.

7. Where acceptance or termination of office appears to be based on material inaccuracy or vitiated consent, Parliament may declare the appointment under consideration to be invalid or may refuse to establish the vacancy.

Rule 5

Privileges and immunities

1. Members enjoy the privileges and immunities laid down in the Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union.

2. In exercising its powers on privileges and immunities, Parliament shall act to uphold its integrity as a democratic legislative assembly and to ensure the independence of its Members in the performance of their duties. Parliamentary immunity is not a Member's personal privilege but a guarantee of the independence of Parliament as a whole, and of its Members.

3. A laissez-passer of the European Union allowing a Member to circulate freely in the Member States and in other countries which recognise it as a valid travel document shall be issued by the European Union to a Member at his or her request, on condition that the President of the Parliament gives his or her authorisation.

4. For the purpose of performing their parliamentary duties, all Members shall have the right to participate actively in the work of Parliament's committees and delegations in accordance with the provisions of these Rules of Procedure.

5. Members shall be entitled to inspect any files held by Parliament or a committee, other than personal files and accounts, which only the Members concerned shall be allowed to inspect. Exceptions to this rule, concerning the handling of documents to which public access may be denied, pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ) , are laid down in Rule 221. With the approval of the Bureau, a Member may, on the basis of a reasoned decision, be denied the right to inspect a Parliament document if, after hearing the Member concerned, the Bureau comes to the conclusion that such an inspection would cause unacceptable damage to Parliament's institutional interests or to the public interest, and that the Member concerned is seeking to inspect the document for private and personal reasons. The Member may lodge a written appeal against such a decision within one month of the notification thereof. In order to be admissible, written appeals must include reasons. Parliament shall reach a decision on the appeal without debate during the part-session that follows its lodging. Access to confidential information is subject to the rules laid down in interinstitutional agreements concluded by Parliament relating to the treatment of confidential information (2) and to the internal rules for their implementation adopted by Parliament's competent bodies (3).

Rule 6

Waiver of immunity

1. Any request for waiver of immunity shall be evaluated in accordance with Articles 7, 8 and 9 of the Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union and with the principles referred to in Rule 5(2).

2. Where Members are required to appear as witnesses or expert witnesses, there is no need to request a waiver of immunity, provided: — that they will not be obliged to appear on a date or at a time which prevents them from performing their parliamentary duties, or makes it difficult for them to perform those duties, or that they will be able to provide a statement in writing or in any other form which does not make it difficult for them to perform their parliamentary duties, and — that they are not obliged to testify concerning information obtained confidentially in the performance of their parliamentary duties which they do not see fit to disclose.

Rule 7

Defence of privileges and immunity

1. In cases where it is alleged that an infringement of the privileges and immunities of a Member or former Member by the authorities of a Member State has occurred or is about to occur, a request for a Parliament decision as to whether those privileges and immunities have been or are likely to be breached may be made in accordance with Rule 9(1).

2. In particular, such a request for the defence of privileges and immunities may be made if it is considered that the circumstances would constitute an administrative or other restriction on the free movement of Members travelling to or from the place of meeting of Parliament or an administrative or other restriction on an opinion expressed or a vote cast in the performance of their duties, or that the circumstances would fall within the scope of Article 9 of the Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union.

3. A request for the defence of the privileges and immunities of a Member shall not be admissible if a request for the waiver or defence of that Member's immunity has already been received in respect of the same facts, whether or not that earlier request led to a decision.

4. No further consideration shall be given to a request for the defence of the privileges and immunities of a Member if a request for the waiver of that Member's immunity is received in respect of the same facts.

5. In cases where a decision has been taken not to defend the privileges and immunities of a Member, the Member may exceptionally make a request for reconsideration of the decision, by submitting new evidence in accordance with Rule 9(1). The request for reconsideration shall be inadmissible if proceedings have been instituted against the decision under Article 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, or if the President considers that the new evidence submitted is insufficiently substantiated to warrant reconsideration.

Rule 8

Urgent action by the President to assert immunity

1. As a matter of urgency, in circumstances where a Member is arrested or has his or her freedom of movement curtailed in apparent breach of his or her privileges and immunities, the President may, after consulting the Chair and rapporteur of the committee responsible, take an initiative to assert the privileges and immunities of the Member concerned. The President shall notify the committee of that initiative and inform Parliament.

2. When the President makes use of the powers conferred on him or her by paragraph 1, the committee shall take cognisance of the President's initiative at its next meeting. Where the committee deems it necessary, it may prepare a report for submission to Parliament.

Rule 9

Procedures on immunity

1. Any request addressed to the President by a competent authority of a Member State for the immunity of a Member to be waived, or by a Member or a former Member for privileges and immunities to be defended, shall be announced in Parliament and referred to the committee responsible.

2. With the agreement of the Member or the former Member concerned, the request may be made by another Member, who shall be permitted to represent the Member or former Member concerned at all stages of the procedure. The Member representing the Member or the former Member concerned shall not be involved in the decisions taken by the committee.

3. The committee shall consider, without delay but having regard to their relative complexity, requests for the waiver of immunity or requests for the defence of privileges and immunities.

4. The committee shall make a proposal for a reasoned decision which recommends the adoption or rejection of the request for the waiver of immunity or for the defence of privileges and immunities. Amendments shall not be admissible. If a proposal is rejected, the contrary decision shall be deemed to have been adopted.

5. The committee may ask the authority concerned to provide any information or explanation which the committee deems necessary in order for it to form an opinion on whether immunity should be waived or defended.

6. The Member concerned shall be given an opportunity to be heard and may present any documents or other written evidence deemed by that Member to be relevant. The Member concerned shall not be present during debates on the request for waiver or defence of his or her immunity, except for the hearing itself. The Chair of the committee shall invite the Member to be heard, indicating a date and time. The Member concerned may renounce the right to be heard. If the Member concerned fails to attend the hearing pursuant to that invitation, he or she shall be deemed to have renounced the right to be heard, unless he or she has asked to be excused from being heard on the date and at the time proposed, and has given his or her reasons. The Chair of the committee shall rule on whether such a request to be excused is to be accepted in view of the reasons given. The Member concerned shall not be permitted to appeal that ruling. If the Chair of the committee grants the request to be excused, he or she shall invite the Member concerned to be heard at a new date and time. If the Member concerned fails to comply with the second invitation to be heard, the procedure shall continue without the Member being heard. No further requests to be excused, or to be heard, may then be accepted.

7. Where the request seeks the waiver or the defence of immunity on several counts, each of these may be the subject of a separate decision. The committee's report may, exceptionally, propose that the waiver or the defence of immunity should apply solely to prosecution proceedings and that, until a final sentence is passed, the Member should be immune from any form of detention or remand or any other measure which prevents that Member from performing the duties proper to the mandate.

8. The committee may offer a reasoned opinion as to the competence of the authority in question and the admissibility of the request, but shall not, under any circumstances, pronounce on the guilt, or otherwise, of the Member, nor shall it pronounce on whether or not the opinions or acts attributed to the Member justify prosecution, even if the committee, in considering the request, acquires detailed knowledge of the facts of the case.

9. The committee's proposal for a decision shall be placed on the agenda of the first sitting following the day on which it was tabled. No amendments may be tabled to such a proposal. Discussion shall be confined to the reasons for and against each proposal to waive or uphold immunity, or to defend a privilege or immunity. Without prejudice to Rule 173, the Member whose privileges or immunities are under consideration shall not speak in the debate. The proposal or proposals for a decision contained in the report shall be put to the vote at the first voting time following the debate. After Parliament has considered the matter, a separate vote shall be taken on each of the proposals contained in the report. If a proposal is rejected, the contrary decision shall be deemed to have been adopted.

10. The President shall immediately communicate Parliament's decision to the Member concerned and to the competent authority of the Member State concerned, with a request that the President be informed of any developments and judicial rulings in the relevant proceedings. When the President receives this information, he or she shall transmit it to Parliament in the way he or she considers most appropriate, if necessary after consulting the committee responsible.

11. The committee shall treat these matters, and handle any documents received with the utmost confidentiality. The committee shall always consider requests relating to procedures on immunity in camera.

12. Parliament shall only examine requests for the waiver of a Member's immunity that have been transmitted to it by the judicial authorities or by the Permanent Representations of the Member States.

13. The committee shall lay down principles for the application of this Rule.

14. Any inquiry as to the scope of Members' privileges or immunities made by a competent authority shall be dealt with in accordance with the above rules.

Rule 10

Standards of conduct

1. The conduct of Members shall be characterised by mutual respect and shall be based on the values and principles laid down in the Treaties, and particularly in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Members shall respect Parliament's dignity and shall not harm its reputation.

2. Members shall not compromise the smooth conduct of parliamentary business and shall not compromise the maintenance of security and order on Parliament's premises or the functioning of its equipment.

3. Members shall not disrupt the good order of the Chamber and shall refrain from improper behaviour. They shall not display banners.

4. In parliamentary debates in the Chamber, Members shall not resort to offensive language. The assessment of whether the language used by a Member in a parliamentary debate is offensive or not should take into consideration, inter alia, the identifiable intentions of the speaker, the perception of the statement by the public, the extent to which it harms the dignity and reputation of Parliament, and the freedom of speech of the Member concerned. By way of example, defamatory language, ‘hate speech’ and incitement to discrimination based, in particular, on any ground referred to in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, would ordinarily constitute cases of ‘offensive language’ within the meaning of this Rule.

5. Members shall comply with Parliament's rules on the treatment of confidential information.

6. Members shall refrain from any type of psychological or sexual harassment and shall respect the Code of appropriate behaviour for Members of the European Parliament in exercising their duties which is attached to these Rules of Procedure as an annex ( 4 ) Members may not be elected as office-holders of Parliament or one of its bodies, be appointed as rapporteur or participate in an official delegation or interinstitutional negotiations, if they have not signed the declaration relating to that Code.

7. Where a person working for a Member, or another person for whom the Member has arranged access to Parliament's premises or equipment, fails to comply with the standards of conduct set out in this Rule, this behaviour may, where appropriate, be imputable to the Member concerned.

8. The application of this Rule shall not otherwise detract from the liveliness of parliamentary debates, nor shall it undermine Members' freedom of speech.

9. This Rule shall apply, mutatis mutandis , in Parliament's bodies, committees and delegations.

Rule 11

Members' financial interests and Transparency register

1. Parliament shall lay down rules governing the transparency of its Members' financial interests in the form of a Code of Conduct which shall be adopted by a majority of its component Members and attached to these Rules of Procedure as an annex ( 5 ) Those rules shall not otherwise prejudice or restrict Members in the exercise of their office or of any related political or other activity.

2. Members should adopt the systematic practice of only meeting interest representatives that have registered in the Transparency Register established by means of the Agreement between the European Parliament and the European Commission ( 6 )

3. Members should publish online all scheduled meetings with interest representatives falling under the scope of the Transparency register. Without prejudice to Article 4(6) of Annex I, rapporteurs, shadow rapporteurs and committee chairs shall, for each report, publish online all scheduled meetings with interest representatives falling under the scope of the Transparency register. The Bureau shall provide for necessary infrastructure on Parliament's website.

4. The Bureau shall provide the necessary infrastructure on Members' online page on Parliament's website for those Members who wish to publish a voluntary audit or confirmation, as provided for under the applicable rules of the Statute for Members and its implementing rules, that their use of the General Expenditure Allowance complies with the applicable rules of the Statute for Members and its implementing measures.

5. These rules shall not otherwise prejudice or restrict Members in the exercise of their office or of any related political or other activity.

6. The code of conduct and the rights and privileges of former Members shall be laid down by a decision of the Bureau. No distinction shall be made in the treatment of former Members.

Rule 12

Internal investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)

The common rules laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement concerning internal investigations by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) (7) comprising the measures that are needed to facilitate the smooth running of investigations conducted by the Office shall be applicable within Parliament, pursuant to Parliament Decision of 18 November 1999 (8).

Rule 13

Observers

1. Where a Treaty on the accession of a State to the European Union has been signed, the President may, after obtaining the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, invite the parliament of the acceding State to appoint, from among its own members, a number of observers equal to the number of seats in the European Parliament to be allocated to that State upon accession.

2. Those observers shall take part in the proceedings of Parliament pending the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession, and shall have a right to speak in committees and political groups. They shall not have the right to vote or to stand for election to positions in Parliament, nor shall they represent the Parliament externally. Their participation shall not have any legal effect on Parliament's proceedings.

3. Their treatment shall be assimilated to that of a Member as regards the use of Parliament's facilities and the reimbursement of travel and subsistence expenses incurred in their activities as observers.

CHAPTER 2

Officers of Parliament

Rule 14

Provisional Chair (9)

1. At the sitting provided for under Rule 154(2), and at any other sitting held for the purpose of electing the President and the Bureau, the outgoing President or, failing him or her, one of the outgoing Vice-Presidents, determined in accordance with their order of precedence, or, in the absence of any of them, the Member having held office for the longest period shall take the chair until the President has been elected.

2. No business shall be transacted while a Member is provisionally in the chair by virtue of paragraph 1 unless it concerns the election of the President or the verification of credentials under the second subparagraph of Rule 3(2). Any other matter relating to the verification of credentials raised when he or she is in the chair shall be referred to the committee responsible.

Rule 15

Nominations and general provisions (10)

1. The President shall be elected by secret ballot, followed by the Vice-Presidents and the Quaestors, in accordance with Rule 191. Nominations shall be with consent of the nominee, and may only be made by a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold. New nominations may be handed in before each ballot. If the number of nominations does not exceed the number of seats to be filled, the candidates shall be elected by acclamation, unless Members or a political group or groups reaching at least the high threshold request a secret ballot. In the event of a single ballot for more than one officer, the ballot paper shall only be valid if more than half of the available votes have been cast.

2. When electing the President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors, account should be taken of the need to ensure an overall fair representation of political views, as well as gender and geographical balance.

Rule 16

Election of President — opening address (11)

1. Nominations for President shall be handed to the Member provisionally in the chair by virtue of Rule 14, who shall announce them to Parliament. If after three ballots no candidate has obtained an absolute majority of the votes cast, the fourth ballot shall, by way of derogation from Rule 15(1), be confined to the two Members who have obtained the highest number of votes in the third ballot. In the event of a tie, the older candidate shall be declared to have been elected.

2. As soon as the President has been elected, the Member who is provisionally in the chair by virtue of Rule 14 shall vacate the chair. Only the elected President may deliver an opening address.

Rule 17

Election of Vice-Presidents

1. The Vice-Presidents shall then be elected on a single ballot. Those who on the first ballot, up to the number of 14, secure an absolute majority of the votes cast shall be declared to have been elected in order of the number of votes obtained. If the number of candidates elected is less than the number of seats to be filled, a second ballot shall be held under the same conditions to fill the remaining seats. If a third ballot is necessary, a relative majority shall suffice for election to the remaining seats. In the event of a tie, the oldest candidates shall be declared to have been elected.

2. Subject to the provisions of Rule 20(1), the Vice-Presidents shall take precedence in the order in which they were elected and, in the event of a tie, by age. If Vice-Presidents are elected by acclamation, a secret ballot shall be held to determine their order of precedence.

Rule 18

Election of Quaestors

Parliament shall elect five Quaestors by the same procedure as that used for the election of the Vice-Presidents.

Rule 19

Term of office of Officers (12)

1. The term of office of the President, Vice-Presidents and Quaestors shall be two-and-a-half years. When Members change political groups they shall retain, for the remainder of their two-and-a- half-year term of office, any seat they hold in the Bureau or as Quaestors.

2. If a vacancy for one of these positions occurs before the expiry of this term of office, the Member elected shall serve only the remaining period of his or her predecessor's term of office.

Rule 20

Vacancies (13)

1. If it becomes necessary for the President, a Vice-President or a Quaestor to be replaced, a successor shall be elected in accordance with the respective rules for elections to the office concerned. A newly elected Vice-President shall take the place of his or her predecessor in the order of precedence.

2. If the office of President becomes vacant, a Vice-President, determined in accordance with the order of precedence, shall act as President until a new President is elected.

Rule 21

Early termination of an office

The Conference of Presidents may, acting by a majority of three-fifths of the votes cast, representing at least three political groups, propose to Parliament that it bring to an end the term of office of the President, a Vice-President, a Quaestor, a Chair or Vice-Chair of a committee, a Chair or Vice-Chair of an interparliamentary delegation, or of any other office holder elected within the Parliament, where it considers that the Member in question has been guilty of serious misconduct. Parliament shall take a decision on that proposal by a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast, constituting a majority of its component Members.

Where a rapporteur breaches the provisions of the Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament with respect to financial interests and conflicts of interest (14), the committee which appointed him or her may, at the initiative of the President and on a proposal by the Conference of Presidents, terminate the holding of that office. The majorities laid down in the first paragraph shall apply mutatis mutandis to each stage of this procedure.

CHAPTER 3

Bodies and duties

Rule 22

Duties of the President

1. The President shall direct all the activities of Parliament and its bodies in accordance with these Rules and shall enjoy all powers that are necessary to preside over the proceedings of Parliament and to ensure that they are properly conducted.

2. The duties of the President shall be to open, suspend and close sittings; to rule on the admissibility of amendments and other texts put to the vote, as well as on the admissibility of parliamentary questions; to ensure observance of these Rules; to maintain order; to call upon speakers; to close debates; to put matters to the vote and to announce the results of votes; as well as to refer to committees any communications that concern them.

3. The President may speak in a debate only to sum up or to call speakers to order. Should the President wish to take part in a debate, he or she shall vacate the chair and shall not reoccupy it until the debate is over.

4. Parliament shall be represented in international relations, on ceremonial occasions and in administrative, legal and financial matters by the President, who may delegate these powers.

5. The President is responsible for the security and the inviolability of the premises of the European Parliament.

Rule 23

Duties of the Vice-Presidents

1. If the President is absent or unable to discharge his or her duties, or if the President wishes to take part in a debate pursuant to Rule 22(3), he or she shall be replaced by one of the Vice-Presidents determined in accordance with the order of precedence.

2. The Vice-Presidents shall also carry out the duties conferred upon them under Rules 25, 27(3) and (5), and 77(3).

3. The President may delegate any duties to the Vice-Presidents, such as representing Parliament at specific ceremonies or acts. In particular, the President may designate a Vice-President to carry out the duties of the President laid down in Rules 137 and 138(2).

Rule 24

Composition of the Bureau

1. The Bureau shall consist of the President and the 14 Vice-Presidents of Parliament.

2. The Quaestors shall be members of the Bureau in an advisory capacity.

3. If voting in the Bureau results in a tie, the President shall have the casting vote.

Rule 25

Duties of the Bureau

1. The Bureau shall carry out the duties assigned to it under these Rules of Procedure.

2. The Bureau shall take financial, organisational and administrative decisions on matters concerning the internal organisation of Parliament, its Secretariat and its bodies.

3. The Bureau shall take financial, organisational and administrative decisions on matters concerning Members on a proposal of the Secretary-General or of a political group.

4. The Bureau shall take decisions on matters relating to the conduct of sittings.

5. The Bureau shall adopt the provisions referred to in Rule 36 concerning non-attached Members.

6. The Bureau shall decide the establishment plan of the Parliament's Secretariat and shall lay down regulations concerning the administrative and financial situation of officials and other servants.

7. The Bureau shall draw up Parliament's preliminary draft budget estimates.

8. The Bureau shall adopt the guidelines for the Quaestors, and may request that they carry out certain tasks.

9. The Bureau shall be the authority responsible for authorising meetings or missions of committees away from the usual places of work, hearings as well as study and fact-finding journeys by rapporteurs. Where such meetings or missions are authorised, the language arrangements shall be determined on the basis of the Code of Conduct on multilingualism adopted by the Bureau. The same rule shall apply to delegations.

10. The Bureau shall appoint the Secretary-General in accordance with Rule 234.

11. The Bureau shall lay down the implementing rules relating to the regulations governing political parties and foundations at European level and the rules regarding their funding.

12. The Bureau shall lay down rules concerning the treatment of confidential information by Parliament and its bodies, office-holders and other Members, taking into account any interinstitutional agreement concluded on such matters. Those rules shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union .

13. The President and/or the Bureau may entrust one or more members of the Bureau with general or specific tasks lying within the competence of the President and/or the Bureau. At the same time the ways and means of carrying them out shall be laid down.

14. The Bureau shall nominate two Vice-Presidents who shall be entrusted with the implementation of relations with the national parliaments.

15. The Bureau shall nominate a Vice-President who shall be entrusted with the implementation of structured consultation with European civil society on major topics.

16. The Bureau shall be responsible for the application of the Statute for Members and shall decide on the amounts of the allowances on the basis of the annual budget.

Rule 26

Composition of the Conference of Presidents

1. The Conference of Presidents shall consist of the President of Parliament and the Chairs of the political groups. The Chair of a political group may arrange to be represented by a member of that group.

2. The President of Parliament shall, after giving the opportunity to non-attached Members to express their views, invite one of them to attend meetings of the Conference of Presidents, without the right to vote.

3. The Conference of Presidents shall endeavour to reach a consensus on the matters referred to it. Where a consensus cannot be reached, the matter shall be put to a vote subject to a weighting based on the number of Members in each political group.

Rule 27

Duties of the Conference of Presidents

1. The Conference of Presidents shall carry out the duties assigned to it under these Rules of Procedure.

2. The Conference of Presidents shall take decisions on the organisation of Parliament's work and on matters of legislative planning.

3. The Conference of Presidents shall be the authority responsible for matters concerning Parliament's relations with the other institutions and bodies of the European Union and with the national parliaments of Member States. Decisions concerning the mandate and composition of the delegation from Parliament which is to participate in consultations within the Council and in other European Union Institutions on fundamental issues concerning the development of the European Union (Sherpa process) shall be taken on the basis of relevant positions adopted by Parliament and taking into account the diversity of political views represented within Parliament. The Vice-Presidents who have been entrusted with the implementation of Parliament's relations with the national parliaments shall regularly report back to the Conference of Presidents on their activities in that regard.

4. The Conference of Presidents shall be the authority responsible for matters concerning relations with non-member countries and with non-Union institutions and organisations.

5. The Conference of Presidents shall be responsible for organising structured consultation with European civil society on major topics. That consultation may include holding public debates on subjects of general European interest in which interested citizens may participate. The Vice-President responsible for the implementation of such consultation shall report back regularly to the Conference of Presidents on his or her activities in this regard.

6. The Conference of Presidents shall draw up the draft agenda of Parliament's part-sessions.

7. The Conference of Presidents shall make proposals to Parliament concerning the composition and competence of committees, committees of inquiry, joint parliamentary committees and standing delegations. The Conference of Presidents shall be responsible for authorising ad hoc delegations.

8. The Conference of Presidents shall decide pursuant to Rule 37 how seats in the Chamber are to be allocated.

9. The Conference of Presidents shall be the authority responsible for authorising the drawing up of own-initiative reports.

10. The Conference of Presidents shall submit to the Bureau proposals on administrative and budgetary matters concerning the political groups.

Rule 28

Duties of the Quaestors

The Quaestors shall be responsible for administrative and financial matters directly concerning Members, in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Bureau, as well as for other tasks entrusted to them.

Rule 29

Conference of Committee Chairs

1. The Conference of Committee Chairs shall consist of the Chairs of all standing or special committees. It shall elect its chair.

2. In the absence of the Chair, the meeting of the Conference shall be chaired by the oldest Member present.

3. The Conference of Committee Chairs may make recommendations to the Conference of Presidents about the work of committees and the drafting of the agendas of part-sessions.

4. The Bureau and the Conference of Presidents may instruct the Conference of Committee Chairs to carry out specific tasks.

Rule 30

Conference of Delegation Chairs

1. The Conference of Delegation Chairs shall consist of the Chairs of all standing interparliamentary delegations. It shall elect its chair.

2. In the absence of the Chair, the meeting of the Conference shall be chaired by the oldest Member present.

3. The Conference of Delegation Chairs may make recommendations to the Conference of Presidents about the work of the delegations.

4. The Bureau and the Conference of Presidents may instruct the Conference of Delegation Chairs to carry out specific tasks.

Rule 31

Continuity of an office during the election period

When a new Parliament is elected, all bodies and office holders of the outgoing Parliament shall continue to be in office until the first sitting of the new Parliament.

Rule 32

Accountability of the Bureau and the Conference of Presidents

1. The minutes of the Bureau and the Conference of Presidents shall be translated into the official languages and distributed to all Members of Parliament. They shall be accessible to the public, unless the Bureau or the Conference of Presidents exceptionally, for reasons of confidentiality, subject to Article 4(1) to (4) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, decides otherwise with regard to certain items of the minutes.

2. Any Member of Parliament may ask questions concerning the performance by the Bureau, the Conference of Presidents and the Quaestors of their respective duties. Such questions shall be submitted to the President in writing, notified to Members and published on Parliament's website within 30 days of tabling, together with the answers given.

CHAPTER 4

Political groups

Rule 33

Establishment and dissolution of political groups

1. Members may form themselves into groups according to their political affinities. Parliament need not normally evaluate the political affinity of members of a group. In forming a group together under this Rule, the Members concerned accept by definition that they have political affinity. Only when this is denied by the Members concerned is it necessary for Parliament to evaluate whether the group has been constituted in accordance with the Rules.

2. A political group shall consist of Members elected in at least one-quarter of the Member States. The minimum number of Members required to form a political group shall be 25.

3. If a group falls below one of the required thresholds, the President, with the agreement of the Conference of Presidents, may allow it to continue to exist until Parliament's next constitutive sitting, provided the following conditions are met: — the members continue to represent at least one-fifth of the Member States; — the group has been in existence for a period that is longer than a year. The President shall not apply this derogation where there is sufficient evidence to suspect that it is being abused.

4. A Member may not belong to more than one political group.

5. The President shall be notified in a statement when a political group is set up. That statement shall specify: — the name of the group, — a political declaration, setting out the purpose of the group, and The political declaration of a group shall set out the values that the group stands for and the main political objectives which its members intend to pursue together in the framework of the exercise of their mandate. The declaration shall describe the common political orientation of the group in a substantial, distinctive and genuine way. — the names of its members and bureau members. All members of the group shall declare in writing in an annex to the statement that they share the same political affinity.

6. The statement shall be annexed to the minutes of the part-session during which the announcement of the establishment of the political group is made.

7. The President shall announce the establishment of political groups in Parliament. Such announcement shall have retroactive legal effect from the moment when the group notified its establishment to the President in accordance with this Rule. The President shall also announce the dissolution of political groups in Parliament. Such an announcement will take legal effect on the day following that on which the political group no longer met the conditions for existence.

Rule 34

Activities and legal situation of the political groups

1. The political groups shall carry out their duties as part of the activities of the Union, including the tasks allocated to them by these Rules of Procedure. The political groups shall be provided with a secretariat on the basis of the establishment plan of the Parliament's Secretariat, with administrative facilities and with the appropriations entered for that purpose in Parliament's budget.

2. At the beginning of each parliamentary term, the Conference of Presidents shall endeavour to agree procedures for reflecting the political diversity of Parliament in the committees and delegations, as well as in the decision-making bodies.

3. The Bureau shall, having regard to any proposal made by the Conference of Presidents, lay down the rules relating to the provision, implementation and monitoring of the facilities and appropriations referred to in paragraph 1, as well as to the related delegations of budget implementation powers and the consequences of any failure to respect those rules.

4. Those rules shall determine the administrative and financial consequences in the event of the dissolution of a political group.

Rule 35

Intergroups

1. Individual Members may form Intergroups or other unofficial groupings of Members, for the purpose of holding informal exchanges of views on specific issues across different political groups, drawing on members of different parliamentary committees, and of promoting contact between Members and civil society.

2. Intergroups as well as other unofficial groupings shall be fully transparent in their actions and shall not engage in any activities which might result in confusion with the official activities of Parliament or of its bodies. They may not organise events in third countries that coincide with a mission of an official Parliament body, including an official election observation delegation.

3. Provided that the conditions laid down in Parliament's internal rules governing the establishment of such groupings are complied with, a political group may facilitate their activities by providing them with logistical support.

4. Intergroups shall be required to make an annual declaration of any support, whether in cash or in kind (e.g. secretarial assistance), which, if offered to Members as individuals, would have had to be declared under Annex I. Other unofficial groupings shall also be required to declare, by the end of the following month, any support, whether in cash or in kind, which Members have not declared individually in accordance with their obligations under Annex I.

5. Only interest representatives who are registered in the Transparency register may participate in intergroup or other unofficial grouping activities organised on Parliament's premises, for instance by attending meetings or events of the intergroup or other unofficial grouping, by offering support to it, or by co-hosting its events.

6. The Quaestors shall keep a register of the declarations referred to in paragraph 4. The Quaestors shall adopt detailed rules on those declarations and their publication on Parliament's website.

7. The Quaestors shall ensure the effective enforcement of this Rule.

Rule 36

Non-attached Members

1. Members who do not belong to a political group shall be provided with a secretariat. The detailed arrangements concerning such provision of secretariats shall be laid down by the Bureau on a proposal from the Secretary-General.

2. The Bureau shall determine the status and parliamentary rights of non-attached Members.

3. The Bureau shall lay down the rules relating to the provision, implementation and auditing of appropriations entered in Parliament's budget to cover the secretarial expenses and administrative facilities for non-attached Members.

Rule 37

Allocation of seats in the Chamber

The Conference of Presidents shall decide how seats in the Chamber are to be allocated to the political groups, the non-attached Members and the institutions of the Union.

TITLE II

LEGISLATIVE, BUDGETARY, DISCHARGE AND OTHER PROCEDURES

CHAPTER 1

Legislative procedures — general provisions

Rule 38

Annual programming

1. Parliament shall work together with the Commission and the Council to determine the legislative planning of the Union. Parliament and the Commission shall cooperate in preparing the Commission Work Programme — which is the Commission's contribution to the Union's annual and multiannual programming — in accordance with the timetable and arrangements agreed between the two institutions (15).

2. After the adoption of the Commission Work Programme, the Parliament, the Council and the Commission will, pursuant to paragraph 7 of the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making ( 16 ) , exchange views and agree on a joint declaration on annual interinstitutional programming that sets out broad objectives and priorities. Before negotiating with the Council and the Commission on the joint declaration, the President shall hold an exchange of views with the Conference of Presidents and the Conference of Committee Chairs regarding Parliament's broad objectives and priorities. Before signing the joint declaration, the President shall seek the approval of the Conference of Presidents.

3. The President shall forward any resolution adopted by Parliament concerning legislative planning and priorities to the other institutions which participate in the Union's legislative procedure and to the parliaments of the Member States.

4. If the Commission intends to withdraw a proposal, the relevant Commissioner shall be invited by the committee responsible to a meeting to discuss that intention. The Presidency of the Council may also be invited to that meeting. If the committee responsible disagrees with the intended withdrawal, it may request that the Commission make a statement to Parliament. Rule 132 shall apply.

Rule 39

Respect for fundamental rights

1. In all of its activities, Parliament shall fully respect the rights, freedoms and principles recognised by Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union, and the values enshrined in Article 2 thereof.

2. Where the committee responsible for the subject matter, a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold are of the opinion that a proposal for a legislative act, in whole or in part, does not comply with the fundamental rights of the European Union, the matter shall, at their request, be referred to the committee responsible for the protection of fundamental rights.

3. That request shall be submitted within four working weeks of the announcement in Parliament of the referral to the committee responsible for the subject matter.

4. The opinion of the committee responsible for the protection of fundamental rights shall be annexed to the report of the committee responsible for the subject-matter.

Rule 40

Verification of legal basis

1. When a proposal for a legally binding act is referred to the committee responsible for the subject-matter, that committee shall first verify its legal basis.

2. If that committee disputes the validity or the appropriateness of the legal basis, including in the context of the verification of compliance with Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union, it shall request the opinion of the committee responsible for legal affairs.

3. In addition, the committee responsible for legal affairs may, on its own initiative, take up at any stage of the legislative procedure questions concerning the legal basis. In such cases it shall duly inform the committee responsible for the subject-matter.

4. If, where appropriate after the exchange of views with the Council and the Commission in accordance with the arrangements agreed at interinstitutional level ( 17 ) , the committee responsible for legal affairs decides to dispute the validity or the appropriateness of the legal basis, it shall report its conclusions to Parliament. Without prejudice to Rule 61, Parliament shall vote on this before voting on the substance of the proposal.

5. If the committee responsible for the subject-matter or the committee responsible for legal affairs have not disputed the validity or appropriateness of the legal basis, amendments tabled in Parliament to change the legal basis shall be inadmissible.

Rule 41

Delegation of legislative powers and conferral of implementing powers

1. When scrutinising a proposal for a legislative act which delegates powers to the Commission as provided for in Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Parliament shall pay particular attention to the objectives, content, scope and duration of the delegation, and to the conditions to which it is subject.

2. When scrutinising a proposal for a legislative act which confers implementing powers pursuant to Article 291 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Parliament shall pay particular attention to the fact that, in exercising an implementing power, the Commission may neither amend nor supplement the legislative act, even in respect of its non-essential elements.

3. The committee responsible for the subject-matter may at any time request the opinion of the committee that is responsible for the interpretation and application of Union law.

4. In addition, the committee responsible for the interpretation and application of Union law may, on its own initiative, take up questions concerning the delegation of legislative powers and the conferral of implementing powers. In such cases, it shall duly inform the committee responsible for the subject-matter.

Rule 42

Verification of financial compatibility

1. Where a proposal for a legally binding act has financial implications, Parliament shall establish whether sufficient financial resources are provided.

2. The committee responsible for the subject-matter shall check that any proposal for a legally binding act is financially compatible with the multiannual financial framework regulation.

3. When the committee responsible for the subject-matter amends the financial endowment of the act it is considering, it shall request the opinion of the committee responsible for budgetary issues.

4. In addition, the committee responsible for budgetary issues may, on its own initiative, take up questions concerning the financial compatibility of proposals for legally binding acts. In such cases, it shall duly inform the committee responsible for the subject-matter.

5. If the committee responsible for budgetary issues decides to dispute the financial compatibility of the proposal, it shall report its conclusions to Parliament before Parliament votes on the proposal.

Rule 43

Examination of respect for the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality

1. During the examination of a proposal for a legislative act, Parliament shall pay particular attention to whether that proposal respects the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.

2. Only the committee responsible for respect for the principle of subsidiarity may make recommendations, for the attention of the committee responsible for the subject-matter, in respect of a proposal for a legislative act.

3. Except in the cases of urgency referred to in Article 4 of Protocol No 1 on the role of national parliaments in the European Union, the committee responsible for the subject-matter shall not proceed to its final vote before the expiry of the deadline of eight weeks laid down in Article 6 of Protocol No 2 on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.

4. If a national parliament sends the President a reasoned opinion in accordance with Article 3 of Protocol No 1, that document shall be referred to the committee responsible for the subject-matter and forwarded, for information, to the committee responsible for respect for the principle of subsidiarity.

5. Where reasoned opinions on the non-compliance of a proposal for a legislative act with the principle of subsidiarity represent at least one third of all the votes allocated to the national parliaments in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 7(1) of Protocol No 2, or a quarter in the case of a proposal for a legislative act submitted on the basis of Article 76 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Parliament shall not take a decision until the author of the proposal has stated how it intends to proceed.

6. Where, under the ordinary legislative procedure, reasoned opinions on the non-compliance of a proposal for a legislative act with the principle of subsidiarity represent at least a simple majority of the votes allocated to the national parliaments in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 7(1) of Protocol No 2, the committee responsible for the subject-matter, having considered the reasoned opinions submitted by the national parliaments and the Commission, and having heard the views of the committee responsible for respect for the principle of subsidiarity, may recommend to Parliament that it reject the proposal on the grounds of infringement of the principle of subsidiarity or submit to Parliament any other recommendation, which may include suggestions for amendments related to respect of the principle of subsidiarity. The opinion given by the committee responsible for respect for the principle of subsidiarity shall be annexed to any such recommendation. The recommendation shall be submitted to Parliament for debate and a vote. If a recommendation to reject the proposal is adopted by a majority of the votes cast, the President shall declare the procedure to be closed. Where Parliament does not reject the proposal, the procedure shall continue, taking into account any recommendations approved by Parliament.

Rule 44

Access to documents and provision of information to Parliament

1. Throughout the legislative procedure, Parliament and its committees shall request access to all documents relating to proposals for legislative acts under the same conditions as the Council and its working parties.

2. During the examination of a proposal for a legislative act, the committee responsible shall ask the Commission and the Council to keep it informed of the progress of that proposal in the Council and its working parties, and in particular to inform it of any emerging compromises which would substantially amend the original proposal or of the author's intention to withdraw its proposal.

Rule 45

Representation of Parliament in Council meetings

When the Council invites Parliament to take part in a Council meeting, the President shall ask the Chair or rapporteur of the committee responsible for the subject matter, or another Member designated by that committee, to represent Parliament.

Rule 46

Right of Parliament to submit proposals

In cases where the Treaties confer a right of initiative on Parliament, the committee responsible may decide to draw up an own-initiative report in accordance with Rule 54.

The report shall include:

(a) a motion for a resolution;

(b) a draft proposal;

(c) an explanatory statement including, where appropriate, a financial statement.

Where the adoption of an act by Parliament requires the approval or the consent of the Council and the opinion or the consent of the Commission, Parliament may, following the vote on the proposed act, and on a proposal by the rapporteur, decide to postpone the vote on the motion for a resolution until the Council or the Commission have stated their position.

Rule 47

Requests to the Commission for submission of proposals

1. Parliament may request the Commission, pursuant to Article 225 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to submit any appropriate proposal to it for the adoption of a new act or the amendment of an existing act. Parliament shall do so by adopting a resolution on the basis of an own-initiative report drawn up by the committee responsible in accordance with Rule 54. The resolution shall be adopted by a majority of the component Members of Parliament in the final vote. Parliament may, at the same time, set a deadline for the submission of such a proposal.

2. Any Member may table a proposal for a Union act on the basis of the right of initiative granted to Parliament pursuant to Article 225 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Such a proposal may be tabled jointly by up to 10 Members. The proposal shall indicate the legal basis on which it is made and may be accompanied by an explanatory statement of no more than 150 words. The proposal shall be submitted to the President, who shall verify whether the legal requirements are fulfilled. The President may refer the proposal for an opinion on the appropriateness of the legal basis to the committee responsible for such verification. If the President declares the proposal to be admissible, he or she shall announce it in plenary and refer it to the committee responsible for the subject matter. Before such referral to the committee responsible for the subject matter, the proposal shall be translated into those official languages which the Chair of that committee considers to be necessary in order for summary consideration to be possible. The committee responsible for the subject matter shall take a decision on further action within three months of the referral, after giving the authors of the proposal the opportunity to address the committee. The authors of the proposal shall be named in the title of the report.

3. Parliament's resolution shall indicate the appropriate legal basis and shall be accompanied by recommendations concerning the content of the required proposal.

4. Where a proposal has financial implications, Parliament shall indicate how sufficient financial resources can be provided.

5. The committee responsible for the subject matter shall monitor the progress of preparation of any proposed Union legal act drawn up following a particular request by Parliament.

6. The Conference of Committee Chairs shall regularly monitor whether the Commission is complying with paragraph 10 of the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making, according to which the Commission is to reply to requests for the submission of proposals within three months by adopting a specific communication stating the intended follow-up actions to be taken. The Conference of Committee Chairs shall regularly report on the results of such monitoring to the Conference of Presidents.

Rule 48

Consideration of legally binding acts

1. The President shall refer proposals for legally binding acts received from other institutions or Member States to the committee responsible, for consideration.

2. In cases of doubt, the President may, before the announcement in Parliament of a referral to the committee responsible, submit a question concerning competence to the Conference of Presidents. The Conference of Presidents shall adopt its decision on the basis of a recommendation from the Conference of Committee Chairs, or the chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs, in accordance with Rule 211(2).

3. The committee responsible may, at any time, decide to appoint a rapporteur to follow the preparatory phase of a proposal. It shall give particular consideration to doing so where the proposal is listed in the Commission Work Programme.

4. In the event of a conflict between a provision of the Rules of Procedure relating to the second and third readings and any other provision of the Rules, the provision relating to the second and third readings shall take precedence.

Rule 49

Acceleration of legislative procedures

The acceleration of legislative procedures in coordination with the Council and Commission regarding specific proposals, selected in particular from among those identified as priorities in the joint declaration on annual interinstitutional programming pursuant to Rule 38(2), may be agreed by the committee or committees responsible.

Rule 50

Legislative procedures on initiatives originating from institutions other than the Commission or from Member States

1. When dealing with initiatives originating from institutions other than the Commission or originating from Member States, the committee responsible may invite representatives of the institutions or those originating Member States to present their initiative to the committee. The representatives of the originating Member States may be accompanied by the Presidency of the Council.

2. Before the committee responsible proceeds to the vote, it shall ask the Commission whether it is preparing an opinion on the initiative, or if it intends to submit an alternative proposal within a short period of time. If the answer that it receives is in the affirmative, the committee shall not adopt its report before receiving that opinion or alternative proposal.

3. When two or more proposals originating from the Commission and/or another institution and/or the Member States with the same legislative objective have been submitted to Parliament simultaneously or within a short period of time, Parliament shall deal with them in a single report. In its report, the committee responsible shall indicate to which text it has proposed amendments and it shall refer to all other texts in the legislative resolution.

CHAPTER 2

Procedure in committee

Rule 51

Legislative reports

1. The Chair of the committee to which a proposal for a legally binding act is referred shall propose to the committee the procedure to be followed.

2. After taking a decision on the procedure to be followed, and if the simplified procedure under Rule 52 does not apply, the committee shall appoint a rapporteur on the proposal for a legally binding act from among its members or permanent substitutes if it has not yet done so on the basis of Rule 48(3).

3. The committee's report shall include: (a) amendments, if any, to the proposal, accompanied, if appropriate, by short justifications, which shall be the responsibility of the author and which shall not be put to the vote; (b) a draft legislative resolution, in accordance with Rule 59(5); (c) if appropriate, an explanatory statement including, where necessary, a financial statement which establishes the magnitude of the financial impact of the report, if any, and its compatibility with the multiannual financial framework; (d) if available, a reference to the Impact Assessment by Parliament.

Rule 52

Simplified procedure

1. Following a first discussion of a proposal for a legally binding act, the Chair may propose that it be approved without amendment. Unless members or a political group or groups reaching at least the medium threshold in the committee object, the proposed procedure shall be deemed to have been approved. The Chair, or, if one has been appointed, the rapporteur, shall present to Parliament a report approving the proposal. The second subparagraph of Rule 159(1) and Rule 159(2) and (4) shall apply.

2. Alternatively, the Chair may propose that a set of amendments be drafted by the Chair or by the rapporteur reflecting the committee's discussion. Unless members or a political group or groups reaching at least the medium threshold in the committee object, the proposed procedure shall be deemed to have been approved and the amendments shall be sent to the members of the committee. Unless members or a political group or groups reaching at least the medium threshold in the committee object to the amendments within a set time limit, which shall not be less than 10 working days from the date of dispatch, the report shall be deemed to have been adopted by the committee. In this case, the draft legislative resolution and the amendments shall be submitted to Parliament without debate pursuant to the second subparagraph of Rule 159(1) and Rule 159(2) and (4). If members or a political group or groups reaching at least the medium threshold in the committee object to the amendments, they shall be put to the vote at the next meeting of the committee.

3. With the exception of the provisions concerning the submission to Parliament, this Rule shall apply mutatis mutandis to committee opinions within the meaning of Rule 56.

Rule 53

Non-legislative reports

1. Where a committee draws up a non-legislative report, it shall appoint a rapporteur from among its members or permanent substitutes.

2. The committee's report shall include: (a) a motion for a resolution; (b) an explanatory statement including, where necessary, a financial statement which establishes the magnitude of the financial impact of the report, if any, and its compatibility with the multiannual financial framework; (c) the texts of any motions for resolutions to be included under Rule 143(7).

Rule 54

Own-initiative reports

1. A committee intending to draw up a non-legislative report or a report under Rule 46 or 47 on a subject within its competence on which no referral has taken place, may do so only with the authorisation of the Conference of Presidents. The Conference of Presidents shall take a decision on requests for authorisation to draw up reports submitted pursuant to the first subparagraph on the basis of implementing provisions, which it shall lay down.

2. Where the Conference of Presidents decides to withhold such authorisation, it shall state its reasons for doing so. Where the subject matter of the report falls within Parliament's right of initiative referred to in Rule 46, the Conference of Presidents may only decide to withhold such authorisation if the conditions set out in the Treaties are not met.

3. In the cases referred to in Rules 46 and 47, the Conference of Presidents shall take a decision within two months.

4. Motions for resolutions submitted to Parliament shall be examined under the short presentation procedure set out in Rule 160. Amendments to such motions for resolutions and requests for split votes or separate votes shall only be admissible for consideration in plenary if they are tabled either by the rapporteur, in order to take account of new information, or by at least one-tenth of the Members. Political groups may table alternative motions for resolutions in accordance with Rule 181(3). Rule 190 shall apply to the committee's motion for a resolution and amendments thereto. Rule 190 shall also apply to the single vote on alternative motions for resolutions.

5. Paragraph 4 shall not apply where the subject of the report qualifies for a key debate in plenary, where the report is drawn up pursuant to the right of initiative referred to in Rule 46 or 47, or where the report has been authorised as a strategic report ( 18 )

Rule 55

Drafting of reports

1. The rapporteur shall be responsible for preparing the committee's report and for presenting it to Parliament on behalf of that committee.

2. The explanatory statement shall be the responsibility of the rapporteur and shall not be put to the vote. It must, however, accord with the text of the motion for a resolution as adopted and any amendments proposed by the committee. If it fails to do so, the Chair of the committee may delete the explanatory statement.

3. The report shall state the result of the vote taken on the report as a whole and shall indicate, in line with Rule 218(3), how each member voted.

4. Minority positions may be expressed when the vote on the text as a whole is taken and may, at the request of their authors, be the subject of a written declaration not exceeding 200 words in length, which shall be annexed to the explanatory statement. The Chair shall settle any disputes which may arise as a result of the application of this paragraph.

5. On a proposal from its Chair, the committee may set a deadline within which the rapporteur must submit the draft report. This deadline may be extended or a new rapporteur appointed.

6. Once the deadline has expired, the committee may instruct its Chair to ask for the matter that has been referred to it to be placed on the agenda of one of the next sittings of Parliament. The debates and votes may then be conducted on the basis of an oral report by the committee concerned.

Rule 56

Opinions of committees

1. If the committee to which a matter was first referred wishes to hear the views of another committee, or if another committee wishes to make known its views to the committee to which a matter was first referred, such committees may ask the President in accordance with Rule 210(2) for one committee to be named as the committee responsible and the other as the opinion-giving committee. The opinion giving committee may appoint a rapporteur for opinion from among its members or permanent substitutes or send its views in the form of a letter from the Chair.

2. Where the opinion concerns a proposal for a legally binding act, it shall consist of amendments to the text referred to the committee, accompanied, where appropriate, by short justifications. Such justifications shall be the responsibility of their author and shall not be put to the vote. If necessary, the opinion-giving committee may submit a short written justification for the opinion as a whole. That short written justification shall be the responsibility of the rapporteur for the opinion. Where the opinion does not concern a proposal for a legally binding act, it shall consist of suggestions for parts of the motion for a resolution submitted by the committee responsible. The committee responsible shall put these amendments or suggestions to the vote. The opinions shall deal solely with those matters that fall within the areas of responsibility of the opinion-giving committee.

3. The committee responsible shall set a deadline within which the opinion-giving committee must deliver its opinion if it is to be taken into account by the committee responsible. Any changes to the announced timetable shall be immediately communicated by the committee responsible to the opinion-giving committee or opinion giving committees. The committee responsible shall not reach its final conclusions before that time-limit has expired.

4. Alternatively, the opinion-giving committee may decide to present its position in the form of amendments to be tabled directly in the committee responsible following their adoption. These amendments shall be tabled by the Chair or the rapporteur on behalf of the opinion-giving committee.

5. The opinion-giving committee shall table the amendments referred to in paragraph 4 within the deadline for amendments set by the committee responsible.

6. All opinions and amendments adopted by the opinion-giving committee shall be annexed to the report of the committee responsible.

7. Opinion-giving committees within the meaning of this Rule cannot table amendments for consideration by Parliament.

8. The Chair and rapporteur of the opinion-giving committee shall be invited to take part in an advisory capacity in meetings of the committee responsible, insofar as these relate to the matter of common concern.

Rule 57

Associated committee procedure

1. Where a question of competence is referred to the Conference of Presidents pursuant to Rule 211, and the Conference of Presidents, on the basis of Annex VI, considers that the matter falls almost equally within the competence of two or more committees, or that different parts of the matter fall within the competence of two or more committees, Rule 56 shall apply with the following additional provisions: — the timetable shall be jointly agreed by the committees concerned, — the rapporteurs concerned shall keep each other informed and shall endeavour to agree on the texts they propose to their committees and on their position regarding amendments, — the Chairs and rapporteurs concerned are bound by the principle of good and sincere cooperation; they shall jointly identify areas of the text falling within their exclusive or shared competence and agree on the precise arrangements for their cooperation; in the event of disagreement about the delimitation of competences the matter shall be submitted, at the request of one of the committees involved, to the Conference of Presidents; the Conference of Presidents may decide on the question of the respective competences or decide that the joint committee procedure under Rule 58 is to apply; it shall take its decision in accordance with the procedure and within the deadline set out in Rule 211, — the committee responsible shall accept without a vote amendments from an associated committee where they concern matters which fall within the exclusive competence of that associated committee; if the committee responsible fails to respect the exclusive competence of the associated committee, that associated committee may table amendments directly in plenary; if amendments on matters which fall within the shared competence of the committee responsible and an associated committee are not adopted by the committee responsible, the associated committee may table those amendments directly in plenary, — in the event of a conciliation procedure in respect of the proposal, Parliament's delegation shall include the rapporteur of any associated committee. A decision by the Conference of Presidents to apply the associated committee procedure applies at all stages of the procedure in question. The rights attaching to the status of ‘committee responsible’ are exercised by the lead committee. In exercising those rights, the lead committee must take due account of the prerogatives of the associated committee. In particular, the lead committee must comply with the obligation to observe the principle of sincere cooperation as regards the timetable and respect the right of the associated committee to determine the amendments submitted in plenary which fall within its exclusive competence.

2. The procedure laid down in this Rule shall not apply to the recommendations to be adopted by the committee responsible under Rule 105.

Rule 58

Joint committee procedure

1. When a question of competence is referred to it pursuant to Rule 211, the Conference of Presidents may decide that the procedure with joint meetings of committees and a joint vote is to be applied, provided that: — by virtue of Annex VI, the matter falls indissociably within the competences of several committees, and — it is satisfied that the question is of major importance.

2. In that event, the respective rapporteurs shall draw up a single draft report, which shall be examined and voted on by the committees involved, under the joint chairmanship of the committee Chairs. At all stages of the procedure, the rights attaching to the status of committee responsible may be exercised by the committees involved only when they are acting jointly. The committees involved may set up working groups to prepare the meetings and votes.

3. At the second-reading stage of the ordinary legislative procedure, the Council position shall be considered at a joint meeting of the committees involved, which, should no agreement be reached between their Chairs, shall be held on the Wednesday of the first week set aside for meetings of parliamentary bodies following the communication of the Council's position to Parliament. If no agreement is reached on the convening of a further meeting, any such meeting shall be convened by the Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs. The vote on the recommendation for second reading shall be taken at a joint meeting on the basis of a joint text drafted by the respective rapporteurs of the committees involved or, in the absence of a joint text, on the basis of the amendments tabled in the committees involved. At the third-reading stage of the ordinary legislative procedure, the Chairs and rapporteurs of the committees involved shall be members ex officio of the delegation to the Conciliation Committee.

CHAPTER 3

Ordinary legislative procedure

SECTION 1 — FIRST READING

Rule 59

Vote in Parliament — first reading

1. Parliament may approve, amend or reject the draft legislative act.

2. Parliament shall first vote on any proposal for the immediate rejection of the draft legislative act that has been tabled in writing by the committee responsible, a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold. If that proposal for rejection is adopted, the President shall ask the originating institution to withdraw the draft legislative act. If the originating institution does so, the President shall declare the procedure closed. If the originating institution does not withdraw the draft legislative act, the President shall announce that the first reading of Parliament is concluded, unless, on a proposal of the Chair or rapporteur of the committee responsible or of a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold, Parliament decides to refer the matter back to the committee responsible for reconsideration. If that proposal for rejection is not adopted, Parliament shall then proceed in accordance with paragraphs 3, 4 and 5.

3. Any provisional agreement tabled by the committee responsible under Rule 74(4) shall be given priority in voting and shall be put to a single vote, unless, at the request of a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold, Parliament decides instead to proceed with the vote on amendments in accordance with paragraph 4. In that case, Parliament shall also decide whether to hold the vote on the amendments immediately. If not, Parliament shall set a new deadline for amendments and the vote shall take place at a subsequent sitting. If, in that single vote, the provisional agreement is adopted, the President shall announce that the first reading of Parliament has been concluded. If, in that single vote, the provisional agreement fails to secure the majority of the votes cast, the President shall set a new deadline for amendments to the draft legislative act. Such amendments shall then be put to the vote at a subsequent sitting in order for Parliament to conclude its first reading.

4. Save where a proposal for rejection has been adopted in accordance with paragraph 2 or a provisional agreement has been adopted in accordance with paragraph 3, any amendments to the draft legislative act shall then be put to the vote, including, where applicable, individual parts of the provisional agreement where requests have been made for split or separate votes, or competing amendments have been tabled. Before Parliament votes on the amendments, the President may ask the Commission to state its p