PARLIAMENT IS SPREAD OVER AT LEAST THREE WEEKS A MONTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR , WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST AND THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAY PERIOD .
21 FURTHERMORE , IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT THE TASKS ASSIGNED TO IT BY THE TREATIES THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HAS ESTABLISHED A NUMBER OF PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY ORGANS , SUCH AS THE BUREAU , THE ENLARGED BUREAU , THE COLLEGE OF QUAESTORS , AD HOC COMMITTEES AND PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS WHICH PERFORM SPECIFIC TASKS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE PLENARY SITTINGS .
22 IN VIEW OF THOSE FINDINGS IT MUST BE HELD THAT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF ITS ORGANS IN FACT CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WITHOUT INTERRUPTION , EXCEPT FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST AND THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAY PERIOD . AN INTERPRETATION OF THE WORD ' SESSION ' LIMITING IMMUNITY TO THE PERIODS WHEN PARLIAMENT IS ACTUALLY SITTING MIGHT THUS PREJUDICE THE CARRYING ON OF THE PARLIAMENT ' S ACTIVITIES AS A WHOLE .
23 IT REMAINS TO BE DETERMINED WHETHER THE PRACTICE FOLLOWED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DOES NOT RENDER NUGATORY THE THIRD PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 22 OF THE ECSC TREATY , THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 139 OF THE EEC TREATY AND THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 109 OF THE EAEC TREATY , UNDER WHICH NOT ONLY A MAJORITY OF ITS MEMBERS BUT ALSO OTHER INSTITUTIONS , NAMELY THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSION , HAVE THE RIGHT TO REQUEST THAT AN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION SHOULD BE CONVENED . IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BALANCE OF POWERS BETWEEN THE INSTITUTIONS PROVIDED FOR BY THE TREATIES , THE PRACTICE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CANNOT DEPRIVE THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF A PREROGATIVE GRANTED TO THEM BY THE TREATIES THEMSELVES .
24 ARTICLE 9 ( 5 ) OF THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EXPRESSLY PROVIDES THAT PARLIAMENT MAY BE CONVENED ' EXCEPTIONALLY ' . ON AT LEAST ONE OCCASION THE PARLIAMENT ITSELF , BEFORE THE ADOPTION BY THE COUNCIL OF REGULATION NO 1293/79 , DECLARED VOID BY THE COURT IN ITS JUDGMENT OF 29 OCTOBER 1980 ( CASE 138/79 ROQUETTE V COUNCIL ( 1980 ) ECR 3333 ), DREW THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNCIL TO THE POSSIBILITY AVAILABLE TO IT UNDER ARTICLE 139 OF THE EEC TREATY OF REQUESTING AN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE NECESSARY OPINION OF THE PARLIAMENT ON THE CONTEMPLATED MEASURE , WHICH HAD TO BE ADOPTED AT VERY SHORT NOTICE . IT MUST THEREFORE BE HELD THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THE TREATIES REFERRED TO ABOVE RETAIN THEIR ENTIRE EFFECT WHERE THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT , AS IS ITS PREROGATIVE , DECIDES TO CLOSE ITS ANNUAL SESSION EARLY .
25 THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 10 OF THE PROTOCOL , ACCORDING TO WHICH MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ARE ALSO ENTITLED TO IMMUNITY ' WHILE THEY ARE TRAVELLING TO AND FROM THE PLACE OF MEETING OF THE ASSEMBLY ' , CANNOT BE RELIED ON IN ORDER TO CHALLENGE