EP Rules of Procedure: adaptation of the Rules to the revised Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the Commission

The Committee on Constitutional Affairs adopted the report drafted by Paulo RANGEL (EPP, PT) on the adaptation of Parliament's Rules of Procedure to the revised framework agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission (see also ACI/2010/2118).

The main amendments suggested by the committee are as follows:

Confidentiality: 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 and annexed to these Rules of Procedure.

Commission’s work programme: the Commission's annual legislative and work programme is being replaced by the Work Programme. The report states that the Work Programme is the Commission’s contribution to the Union’s annual and multiannual programming.

International agreements: as regards the negotiations on the conclusion of international agreements, Members consider that the obligation to inform the European Parliament applies to both the Commission and the Council, because the negotiating directives are adopted by the Council.

Where the Commission informs Parliament and the Council of its intention to propose the provisional application or suspension of an international agreement, a statement shall be made in Parliament, followed by a debate.

The same procedure shall apply when the Commission informs Parliament of a proposal concerning the positions to be adopted on the Union's behalf in a body set up by an international agreement.

Questions: the report states that a question shall be inadmissible if an identical or similar question has been put down and answered during the preceding three months, or to the extent that it merely seeks information on the follow-up to a specific resolution of Parliament of a kind which the Commission has already provided in a written follow-up communication, unless there are new developments or the author is seeking further information. In the first case a copy of the question and the answer shall be given to the author.

Penalties:in cases of infringement, the chair of the committee shall proceed in accordance with Rules 9(2), 152, 153 and 154.