EP Rules of Procedure, Rule 201: application or interpretation of the Rules of Procedure

The Committee on Constitutional Affairs unanimously adopted the report drafted by Richard CORBETT (PES, UK) on the amendment of Rule 201 of Parliament's Rules of Procedure on the application or interpretation of the Rules of Procedure with a view to allowing committee chairmen to refer under certain conditions questions of interpretation of the Rules of Procedure to the committee responsible for the Rules in order to get an authoritative guidance for the future. Till now only the President of Parliament has this power.

The committee chairs are constantly required to apply and therefore interpret the Rules of Procedure in the course of the exercise of their duties. But this possibility is limited to questions arising in connection with committee sittings whereas the need for a clarification of the Rules often arises with regard to other questions like the cooperation between committees, the respective roles of the Parliament at plenary stage and the parliamentary committees, etc.

The adequate solution to the problem appears to be to give the committee chairs, by an amendment to Rule 201 as proposed with this report, a more general power to seek for an interpretation of the Rules. This power would be restricted to questions which arise in the course of the committee's work and are related to it. The general power of the President under this Rule would not be put into question.