The work of the Plenary and initiative reports (amendment of the Rules of Procedure) European Parliament decision of 8 July 2008 on amendment of Parliament's Rules of Procedure in light of the proposals by the Working Party on Parliamentary Reform concerning the work of the Plenary and initiative reports (2007/2272(REG))
Date: 2008-07-08
Institutions: Committee on Constitutional Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: European Parliament, amendment, institutional activity, institutional reform, powers of the institutions (EU)








CE2009294EN.01008601.xml










3.12.2009   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


CE 294/86





Tuesday 8 July 2008The work of the Plenary and initiative reports (amendment of the Rules of Procedure)
P6_TA(2008)0334
European Parliament decision of 8 July 2008 on amendment of Parliament's Rules of Procedure inlight of the proposals by the Working Party on Parliamentary Reform concerning the work of thePlenary and initiative reports (2007/2272(REG))
2009/C 294 E/22

The European Parliament,
having regard to the decisions of the Conference of Presidents of 25 October and 12 December 2007,
having regard to the letters from its President of 15 November 2007 and 31 January 2008,
having regard to the First Interim Report of the Working Party on Parliamentary Reform concerning ‘The plenary and the calendar of activities’ submitted to the Conference of Presidents on 6 September 2007, and to its conclusions concerning initiative reports,
having regard to Article 199 of the EC Treaty,
having regard to Rules 201 and 202 of its Rules of Procedure,
having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A6-0197/2008),






1.


Decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as shown below;










2.


Points out that the amendments will enter into force on the first day of the next part-session, except for points 2 and 3 of the new Annex IIa, which will enter into force on the first day of its parliamentary term starting in July 2009; points out that Rule 45(1a) shall equally apply to reports authorised before this provision has entered into force;










3.


Decides that amendment 5 concerning Rule 39(2) in its decision of 13 November 2007 on the amendment of Parliament's Rules of Procedure in light of the Statute for Members (1) will enter into force on the first day of the next part-session;










4.


Decides, pursuant to Rule 204(c), to publish the decision of the Conference of Presidents on the Rules and Practices concerning own-initiative reports as modified by its decisions of 12 December 2007 and of 14 February 2008 as an annex to the Rules of Procedure; instructs its Secretary General to update this annex in accordance with future decisions by the Conference of Presidents concerning this matter;










5.


Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission, for information.










PRESENT TEXT


AMENDMENTS





Amendment 1






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 38a (new)





 




Rule 38a




Rights of initiative conferred on Parliament by the Treaties




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




The report shall comprise:










(a)






a motion for a resolution;














(b)






where appropriate, a draft decision or 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.







Amendment 2






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 45 — paragraph 1a (new)





 










1a.






Motions for a resolution contained in own-initiative reports shall be examined by Parliament pursuant to the short presentation procedure set out in Rule 131a. Amendments to such motions for a resolution shall not be admissible for consideration in plenary unless tabled by the rapporteur to take account of new information, but alternative motions for a resolution may be tabled in accordance with Rule 151(4). This paragraph 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 38a or 39, or where the report can be considered a strategic report according to the criteria set out by the Conference of Presidents

 (2).









Amendment 3






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 45 — paragraph 2 — subparagraph 1











2.



The provisions of this Rule shall apply mutatis mutandis in cases where the Treaties attribute the right of initiative to Parliament.













2.



Where the subject of the report comes under the right of initiative referred to in Rule 38a, authorisation may be withheld only on the grounds that the conditions set out in the Treaties are not met.










Amendment 4






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 45 — paragraph 2 — subparagraph 2





In 
such
 cases, the Conference of Presidents shall take a decision within two months.










2a.




In 
the
 cases 
referred to in Rule 38a and Rule 39
, the Conference of Presidents shall take a decision within two months.









Amendment 5






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 110 — paragraph 1











1.



Questions for written answer may be put by any Member to the Council or the Commission. The content of questions shall be the sole responsibility of their authors.












1.



Any Member may put questions for written answer to the Council or the Commission in accordance with guidelines laid down in an annex to these Rules of Procedure

 (3). The content of questions shall be the sole responsibility of their authors.









Amendment 6






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 110 — paragraph 2











2.


Questions shall be submitted in writing to the President who shall forward them to the institution concerned.












2.


Questions shall be submitted in writing to the President who shall forward them to the institution concerned. 
Doubts concerning the admissibility of a question shall be settled by the President. His decision shall be notified to the questioner.











Amendment 7






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 111 — paragraph 1











1.


Any Member may put questions for written answer to the European Central Bank.












1.


Any Member may put questions for written answer to the European Central Bank 
in accordance with guidelines laid down in an annex to these Rules of Procedure

 (4).









Amendment 8






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 131a (new)





 




Rule 131a




Short presentation




At the request of the rapporteur or on a proposal of the Conference of Presidents, Parliament may also decide that an item not needing a full debate be dealt with by means of a short presentation in plenary by the rapporteur. In that event, the Commission shall have the opportunity to intervene and any Member shall have the right to react by handing in an additional written statement pursuant to Rule 142(7).







Amendment 9






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 142 — paragraph 5











5.


The Commission and Council shall be heard in the debate on a report as a rule immediately after its presentation by the rapporteur. 
However, in a debate on a Commission proposal, the President shall invite the Commission to speak first in order to briefly present its proposal, and when debating a text originating from the Council, the President may invite the Council to speak first, in each case to be followed by the rapporteur.
 The Commission 
and
 Council may be heard again, in particular to respond to the statements made by Members.












5.


The Commission and Council shall be heard in the debate on a report as a rule immediately after its presentation by the rapporteur. The Commission
, the
 Council 
and the rapporteur
 may be heard again, in particular to respond to the statements made by Members.









Amendment 10






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Rule 151 — paragraph 4











4.


A political group may table an alternative motion for a resolution to a non-legislative motion for a resolution contained in a committee report.












4.


A political group 
or at least forty members
 may table an alternative motion for a resolution to a non-legislative motion for a resolution contained in a committee report.








In such a case, the group may not table amendments to the motion for a resolution by the committee responsible. The 
group's
 motion for a resolution may not be longer than the committee's motion for a resolution. It shall be put to a single vote in Parliament without amendment.


In such a case, the group 
or the members concerned
 may not table amendments to the motion for a resolution by the committee responsible. The 
alternative
 motion for a resolution may not be longer than the committee's motion for a resolution. It shall be put to a single vote in Parliament without amendment.




 




Rule 103(4) shall apply mutatis mutandis.







Amendment 11






Parliament's Rules of Procedure


Annex IIa (new)





 




ANNEX IIa




Guidelines for questions for written answer under Rules 110 and 111










1.





Questions for written answer shall:







—




fall within the competence and sphere of responsibility of the institution concerned and be of general interest;












—




be concise and contain an understandable interrogation;












—




not contain offensive language;












—




not relate to strictly personal matters.


















2.





If a question does not comply with these guidelines, the Secretariat shall provide the author with advice on how the question may be drafted in order to be admissible.













3.





If an identical or similar question has been put and answered during the preceding six months, the Secretariat shall transmit a copy of the previous question and answer to the author. The renewed question shall not be forwarded to the institution concerned unless the author invokes new significant developments or is seeking further information.













4.





If a question seeks factual or statistical information that is already available to Parliament's library, the latter shall inform the Member, who may withdraw the question.













5.





Questions concerning related matters may be answered together.











(1)  Texts adopted, P6_TA(2007)0500.

(2)  
See the relevant decision of the Conference of Presidents, reproduced in Annex […] to the Rules of Procedure.



(3)  
See Annex IIa.



(4)  
See Annex IIa.