B4-0001/94

Decision on the number, composition and responsibilities of parliamentary committees

The European Parliament,

-having regard to Rule 135(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

1.Decides to set up the following parliamentary committees (the committee responsible for verifying credentials is covered by Rules 6 and 7):

I.Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy (52 members)

II.Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (45 members)

III.Committee on Budgets (33 members)

IV.Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy (50 members)

V.Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy (26 members)

VI.Committee on External Economic Relations (25 members)

VII.Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens' Rights (25 members)

VIII.Committee on Social Affairs and Employment (40 members)

IX.Committee on Regional Policy (37 members)

X.Committee on Transport and Tourism (28 members)

XI.Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (44 members)

XII.Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media (36 members)

XIII.Committee on Development and Cooperation (36 members)

XIV.Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs (31 members)

XV.Committee on Budgetary Control (18 members)

XVI.Committee on Institutional Affairs (40 members)

XVII.Committee on Fisheries (22 members)

XVIII.Committee on the Rules of Procedure, the Verification of Credentials and Immunities (23 members)

XIX.Committee on Women's Rights (36 members)

XX.Committee on Petitions (27 members)

2.Decides to replace Annex VI of its Rules of Procedure by the following text:

I.Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.the common foreign and security policy of the European Union, including the task of formulating a common defence and disarmament policy;

2.relations with the WEU;

3.political aspects of relations with third countries and international organizations with regard to the implementation of Union's foreign and security policy;

4.opening, monitoring and concluding negotiations concerning the accession of European States to the Union (Article O of the Treaty on European Union);

5.opening, monitoring and concluding negotiations concerning association agreements (Article 238 of the EC Treaty) and other international agreements of a mainly political nature;

6.problems concerning human rights and democratization in third countries.

In consultation with the chairmen of the interparliamentary delegations and joint parliamentary committees, this committee will coordinate the work of the interparliamentary delegations and joint parliamentary committees both in preparing for and discussing the outcome of their meetings. The interparliamentary delegations and joint parliamentary committees will consult with the Committee on External Economic Relations on economic and trade matters.

II. Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

This committee is generally responsible for all matters relating to Title II, Articles 38 to 47, of the EC Treaty:

1.operation and development of the common agricultural policy and forestry policy;

2.rural development including the activities of the EAGGF Guidance Section;

3.veterinary legislation relating to the control and elimination of diseases in domestic animals;

4.supplies of agricultural raw materials;

5.agri-foodstuffs industry and production system;

6.legislation on animal husbandry;

7.animal feedingstuffs.

The committee will be required to give its opinion on all matters which, although arising in a different specific field (public health, economic policy, external economic relations, relations with European or other associated countries), may have some bearing on the organization of the Community's agricultural market and on matters pertaining to commercial policy with regard to agricultural products.

III. Committee on Budgets

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.the definition and exercise of the European Parliament's budgetary powers;

2.the budget of the European Union;

3.multiannual estimates of the Union's revenue and expenditure and the interinstitutional agreements concluded on these matters;

4.financial resources of the Union (including levies, own resources, Member States' contributions);

5.financial implications of Community acts;

6.preparation and coordination of the conciliation procedure between the Parliament and the Council, with the involvement of the Commission, on Community acts having financial implications;

7.problems relating to the administrative and accounting management and the staff of the Communities which involve budgetary authorization in so far as they do not have substantial implications for the legal status of officials;

8.transfers of appropriations which constitute authorization of expenditure;

9.Parliament's budget, administration and accounts (Rule 165 of the Rules of Procedure);

10.acts connected with the above points.

As regards problems relating to the budget of the European Parliament,

the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets will take decisions in successive stages on:

a. the establishment plan,

b. the preliminary draft and the draft estimates.

The decisions concerning the establishment plan will be taken according to the following procedure:

a.1.the Bureau shall draw up the establishment plan for each financial year,

a.2.a conciliation procedure between the Bureau and the Committee on Budgets shall be opened in cases where the opinion of the latter diverges from the initial decisions taken by the Bureau,

a.3.at the end of the procedure, the Bureau shall take the final decision, in accordance with Rule 164(3).

As regards the estimates proper, the procedure for drawing up the estimates will begin as soon as the Bureau has taken a final decision on the establishment plan. The stages of this procedure will be those laid down in Rule 165, viz.:

b.1.the Bureau shall draw up the preliminary draft estimates of revenue and expenditure (paragraph 1),

b.2.the Committee on Budgets shall draw up the draft estimates of revenue and expenditure (paragraph 2),

b.3.before or after these estimates are adopted, a conciliation procedure shall be opened in cases where the positions of the Committee on Budgets and the Bureau are widely divergent.

In exercising its powers the Committee on Budgets will cooperate closely with the Committee on Budgetary Control. As regards the Financial Regulation, the division of powers between the two committees will depend on the nature of the questions raised by the proposal for a regulation: financial regulations or parts thereof dealing with the implementation, management and control of budgets will be the responsibility of the Committee on Budgetary Control.

IV. Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.monitoring initiatives on the completion of the internal market in accordance with Articles 7b, 7c and 100b of the EC Treaty;

2.questions of monetary policy, balance of payments, capital movements and borrowing and lending policy (control of movements of capital originating in third countries, measures to encourage the export of Community capital, application of Articles 73b, c, d, e, f and g and 104 to 109m of the EC Treaty);

3.the European Community's industrial policy, including the implementation of the Community's general strategy in specific sectors;

4.operation of the common market, more specifically the application of Articles 9 to 37 of the EC Treaty, relating to the movement of goods, customs duties and quotas and problems arising in this area as a consequence of the European Union's enlargement;

5.questions of competition, i.e. the application of Articles 85 to 90 of the EC Treaty (rules on competition, agreements and monopolies), in so far as these are not specific questions falling within the terms of reference of other committees (transport, public health, etc.);

6.'internal' dumping practices (Article 91 of the EC Treaty);

7.public subsidies apart from aspects connected with regional policy (Articles 92 to 94 of the EC Treaty);

8.medium and long-term economic and monetary planning (Articles 102a, 109i and 130b of the EC Treaty);

9.Community technical standards and norms (in conjunction with the European standards institutes);

10.the application of new technologies in given sectors of industry and services (standards, rules on competition, freedom of movement and services and general problems of the organization of various production sectors);

11.the steel industry (the stabilization of markets and prices, control of concentrations under Community programmes) (Articles 4, 46 and 56 to 67 of the ECSC Treaty);

12.application of Articles 95 to 99 of the EC Treaty on tax provisions connected with the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital within the internal market;

13.all measures and actions to be taken for the progressive establishment of economic and monetary union (machinery for cooperation and conciliation in short-term economic policy, harmonization of medium-term planning, industrial policy, short or medium-term financial support, arrangements for protection and monetary cooperation, etc.);

14.reform of the world monetary system.

V. Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.energy supplies and energy policy in general, including coal and nuclear energy under the ECSC and EAEC Treaties;

2.fundamental, precompetitive, prenormative or preindustrial research, technological progress, the Community technological research and development framework programme and other specific programmes including COST and EUREKA and the technological research and development agreements with third parties, and the application of such technological research and development, in so far as it is not covered by the internal market and industrial policy (cf. Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy) such as space technology;

3.research and development of biotechnology;

4.the Joint Research Centres and the Central Office for Nuclear Measurements;

5.dissemination of information and the definition of information technologies necessary for the storage, access, transmission, reception and synthesis of information;

6.patents and industrial property (in agreement with the Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens' Rights as the committee responsible);

7.the coordination of Member States' research and development programmes and their coherence within the Framework Programme.

VI. Committee on External Economic Relations

This committee is responsible for matters relating to foreign trade and agreements concluded in this sector, including in particular:

1.monitoring the Union's common commercial policy and problems associated with this policy and its implementation (Articles 113 and 235 of the EC Treaty);

2.opening, monitoring and concluding negotiations concerning international agreements covering mainly economic and trade relations with third countries which do not lead to association agreements (Articles 113 and 235 of the EC Treaty);

3.the economic and trade aspects of the European Economic Area and relations with EFTA;

4.all aspects concerning GATT and the transition to the WTO (the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the Committee on Fisheries will be required to give their opinions on all matters pertaining to commercial policy with regard to agricultural and fisheries products);

5.problems relating to the common external tariff and dumping practices by third countries;

6.economic cooperation, including financial protocols with industrialized countries and the economic aspects of association agreements.

The delegations will cooperate closely with this committee with regard to economic and commercial aspects of relations with third countries.

VII. Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens' Rights

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.legal aspects of the creation, interpretation and application of Community law, including the choice of legal basis for Community acts;

2.legal aspects of the creation, interpretation and application of international law, in so far as it affects the European Union;

3.all matters relating to the definition and codification of the rights of citizens of the European Union and of fundamental rights, as well as proposals for official consolidation of all or part of Community legislation;

4.the creation of a European legal and judicial area;

5.coordination at Community level of national legislation:

a.in regulations on freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services (Articles 52 to 66 of the EC Treaty) including problems of company law (in exercising this particular responsibility and unless the problems are purely legal the committee will generally consult the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy except in cases where the regulations apply to an area for which a different committee has more specific responsibility);

b.in the application of Article 220 of the EC Treaty (protection of natural and legal persons) and all measures with wider application;

6.the Staff Regulations of the European Community (Article 24 of the Merger Treaty) with the exception of matters pertaining to remuneration, unless they have substantial implications for the legal status of staff;

7.Parliament's involvement in actions before the Court of Justice, except for those concerning disputes between Parliament and its staff.

Questions concerning the approximation of national legislation will be dealt with in each case by the committee responsible for the subject area of the proposals. However, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens' Rights may give its opinion on these proposals pursuant to Rule 147 whenever it considers this necessary.

The committee will also be required to give its opinion on the discussions leading to the finalization of a uniform electoral procedure (the legal aspects thereof).

VIII. Committee on Social Affairs and Employment

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.improving living and working conditions;

2.protection of workers in the workplace, in particular with regard to health, hygiene and safety (Article 118a of the EC Treaty);

3.employment policy, particularly where it affects young people;

4.wages, pensions and incomes policy and capital formation;

5.vocational training, particularly as regards access to the labour market and to retraining in connection with reconversion and occupational mobility;

6.harmonization of vocational qualifications;

7.paid holidays schemes;

8.activities of the European Social Fund (retraining, readaptation, etc);

9.free movement of workers;

10.social security of Community and non-Community migrant workers;

11. housing policy and low-cost housing schemes;

12.promoting cooperation between the Member States in the field of social policy, with particular emphasis on labour law and the approximation of social legislation;

13.promotion of a 'European social budget';

14.equal pay and equal job and vocational training opportunities for men and women;

The committee will also be required to give its opinion on matters relating to the rights of migrant workers.

IX. Committee on Regional Policy

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.Community regional policy understood as a structural policy aimed at alignment of the economies, economic and social cohesion, the harmonious development of the Community and the removal of disparities;

2.the drawing up, implementation and evaluation of all Community regional policy plans and projects relating to the development of less-favoured regions (Objective 1), regions in industrial decline (Objective 2) and rural regions (Objective 5b);

3.the special problems of the regions which are disadvantaged either because their economies are predominantly agricultural or because their industrial sectors are in a state of crisis;

4.the impact of the other Community policies on the regions involved in regional policy;

5.the impact of any enlargement of the European Community and association treaties on the regional policy of the Community;

6.problems related to the management, effectiveness and control of the European Regional Development Fund and the other instruments of Community regional policy;

7.coordination of Community structural financial instruments;

8.problems related to the criteria for and effective use in the Member States of Community regional aid and the coordination of national regional aid schemes;

9.the development of a Community regional planning policy and problems related to the relationship between national town and country planning forecasts and decisions and Community regional policy;

10.relations with local and regional authorities in the spirit of the Treaties and their participation in the drawing up of regional policy;

11.cross-border cooperation.

X. Committee on Transport and Tourism

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.the development of a common transport policy (Articles 74-84 of the EC Treaty);

2.the creation of a European transport network;

3.the liberalization of international transport;

4.discrimination, harmonization and coordination in the sphere of transport;

5.problems involved in transport by air, sea and pipeline;

6.the European Community's policy on ports;

7.possible areas of interference between a common transport policy and its tariffs and the rules on competition or the requirements of social, agricultural, energy or regional policy (see Articles 3(f) and 74 of the EC Treaty and Articles 70 et seq. of the ECSC Treaty);

8.postal communications;

9.the European Community's tourism policy.

The committee will be required to give its opinion on matters pertaining to the fields of competition, the removal of barriers, the right of establishment and freedom to provide services, where transport policy is involved.

XI. Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.environment policy and environmental protection measures:

a.pollution of air, earth and water,

b.classification, packing, labelling, transport and use of dangerous substances,

c.fixing permissible noise levels,

d.treatment and storage of waste (including recycling),

e.international and regional measures and agreements aimed at protecting the environment (for example, the Rhine, the Mediterranean),

f.protecting fauna and its habitat,

g.giving opinions on energy and research programmes affecting the environment,

h.provisions of the Law of the Sea regarding the environment.

2.consumer protection:

problems concerning the implementation of the legislation proposed in the Community action programmes, viz:

a.protection of consumers against risks to health and safety,

b.protection of consumers' economic interests,

c.improvement of legal protection for consumers (assistance, advice and legal redress),

d.improvement of consumer information and education,

e.appropriate consultation and representation of consumers during the preparatory phase of decisions affecting their interests.

3.public health:

a.programmes in the field of health education (with the emphasis on preventive action in respect of tobacco, the use of drugs, cardiovascular illnesses, dietary products),

b.checks on foodstuffs,

c.veterinary legislation concerning protection against dangers to human health arising from bacteria and residues in animal products, health controls for products (meat, milk, etc.) and production systems (slaughterhouses, dairies, etc),

d.pharmaceutical products, including veterinary products,

e.medical research,

f.cosmetic products,

g.civil protection.

XII. Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.questions pertaining to the information of the general public on the activities of the European Union;

2.youth exchanges, including the exchange of young workers, and other measures designed to promote the involvement of young people in the development of European integration;

3.policy designed to preserve and restore the cultural heritage and safeguard natural areas in cooperation with the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection;

4.proposals relating to the establishment of a cultural Community;

5.the activities of the European Youth Forum;

6.education policy;

7.the European Foundation;

8.education programmes, harmonization of syllabuses and mutual recognition of diplomas;

9.the development of the European University and cooperation between institutions of higher education;

10.promoting the system of European Schools;

11.continuing education for adults and home-study courses;

12.questions relating to information and the media;

13.questions pertaining to the development of policy on sports;

14.leisure.

The committee will be required to give its opinion on problems associated with youth employment policy and vocational training.

XIII. Committee on Development and Cooperation

This committee is responsible for examining and monitoring the policy of the Community on development with particular reference to:

1.the North-South dialogue;

2.humanitarian aid, emergency aid and food aid;

3.technical, financial and educational cooperation;

4.the generalized system of preferences;

5.industrial, agricultural and rural development.

This committee is also responsible for matters pertaining to:

1.the application of the ACP-EEC Convention;

2.the application of cooperation agreements with the Maghreb and Mashreq countries;

3.relations with certain developing countries or groups of developing countries with which the European Community has concluded cooperation or association agreements;

4. financial and technical cooperation with the developing countries;

5.relations with international organizations which specialize in development and cooperation.

XIV.Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.human rights problems in the European Union;

2.civil liberties in the European Union and the security and free movement of persons;

3.asylum policy;

4.the fight against racism and xenophobia;

5.immigration policy and policy towards nationals of third countries;

6.the fight against international crime, drug-trafficking and fraud;

7.customs cooperation (pursuant to Title VI, Article K.1(8) of the Treaty on European Union);

8.police cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism, drug-trafficking and other forms of international crime, including the organization at Union level of a system for exchanging information through a European police authority (Europol);

9.juridical policy cooperation in the above areas.

10.conventions adopted pursuant to Title VI of the Treaty on European Union.

XV. Committee on Budgetary Control

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.the control of financial, budgetary and administrative implementing measures taken on the basis of, in the framework of, or in relation with the General Budget for the European Union (including the EDF), the financial and administrative activities of the ECSC, the financial activities of the EIB carried out on the basis of instructions from the Commission and the coordination of all the financial activities of the EIB with the other financial instruments of the European Communities;

2.the Financial Regulation;

3.the decisions on discharge taken by Parliament and measures accompanying or implementing these decisions;

4.accounts and balance sheets relating to decisions concerning the closure, presenting and auditing of Parliament's revenue and expenditure as well as measures accompanying or implementing these decisions, in particular in the framework of the internal discharge procedure, requiring close collaboration with the President and the Bureau of the European Parliament;

5.the closure, presenting and auditing of the accounts and balance sheets of the European Communities, their organs and any bodies financed by them, including the establishment of appropriations to be carried over and the settling of balances;

6.monitoring accompanying the implementation of current budgets on the basis of periodic reports provided by the Commission and measures taken for such implementation which do not constitute budgetary authorization, i.e. transfers and other measures, excluding transfers on the basis of Chapter 100, release of appropriations, and carry-over or reinstatement of appropriations falling within the competence of the Committee on Budgets;

7.the assessment of the effectiveness of the various forms of Union financing, the coordination of the various financial instruments and the assessment of the cost-benefit ratio in the implementation of the policies financed by the European Union;

8.consideration of the credit terms, financing mechanisms and the administrative structures designed to implement them, by examining cases of fraud and irregularities;

9.the drawing up of legislative opinions on regulations or part of regulations relating to the implementation of budgets, including administrative management, opinions addressed to the Committee on Budgets for decisions which assume an assessment of the implementation and management of expenditure (budgetary procedure, adjustment and revision of financial perspectives, carry-over of appropriations, etc.);

10.the preparation of legislative opinions, recommendations, consultations and information concerning the organization of checks, the prevention, prosecution and punishment of fraud and irregularities affecting the Community budget and concerning the protection of the Union's financial interests in general;

11.opinions and information to be given, on request or on its own initiative, to parliamentary committees and other parliamentary bodies, on matters coming under the heading of budgetary control;

12.the consideration of reports and opinions of the Court of Auditors;

13.relations with the Court of Auditors and the appointment of its members, without prejudice to the powers of the President of Parliament;

14.the consideration of confidential documents relating to a field under the responsibility of the Committee on Budgetary Control, in strict accordance with the provisions of Annex VII.

In exercising these duties the Committee on Budgetary Control will cooperate closely with the Committee on Budgets.

XVI. Committee on Institutional Affairs

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.problems of political union and any draft act relating thereto;

2.the development of European integration in the framework of the preparation and progress of the intergovernmental conferences;

3.the institutional structures of the European Union within the framework of the Treaties (the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Citizens' Rights, in so far as they are concerned, will each give an opinion on these matters in so far as they involve the interpretation, application or extension of the provisions of the Treaties governing the internal operation of each institution and relations between the institutions);

4.the implementation of the Treaty on European Union and the assessment of its operation;

5.general relations with the other institutions or bodies of the European Union;

6.the drawing up of a draft uniform electoral procedure;

7.political considerations relating to the seat of the institutions of the European Union.

XVII.Committee on Fisheries

This committee is responsible for matters relating to the operation and development of the common fisheries policy and its management, including the financial instrument for fisheries guidance (FIFG).

It will be required to give its opinion on all matters which, although arising in a different specific field (public health, economic policy, external economic relations, relations with European or other associated countries), may have some bearing on the organization of the Union's market in fisheries products, and on matters pertaining to commercial policy with regard to fisheries products.

XVIII.Committee on the Rules of Procedure, the Verification of Credentials and Immunities

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.Parliament's Rules of Procedure, i.e.:

a.the formulation of the Rules of Procedure, including Annexes thereto,

b.the examination of and reporting on proposed amendments to the Rules tabled under Rule 163,

c.the interpretation of the Rules of Procedure pursuant to Rules 127 and 162;

2.the application of the provisions of Rule 7 and Rule 8(7) of the Rules of Procedure:

a.to verify the credentials of newly elected Members, and

b.to rule on any disputes;

3.privileges and immunities.

XIX.Committee on Women's Rights

This committee is responsible for matters relating to:

1.the definition and evolution of women's rights in the Union, based on the European Parliament's resolutions on this subject;

2.the implementation and improvement of directives relating to equal rights for women and the formulation of new directives;

3.social, employment and training policy in respect of women and young girls, and measures to combat female unemployment;

4.information policy and studies on women;

5.the assessment of common policies from the point of view of women and the consequences for women of the completion of the internal market;

6.problems relating to the professional activities of women and their family role;

7.women in the Community Institutions;

8.women in the international sphere (United Nations, International Labour Office, etc.);

9.the situation of migrant women and the partners of migrant workers and the status of women who are both European citizens and nationals of non-European countries within the framework of European Community legislation relating to the internal market.

XX. Committee on Petitions

This committee is responsible for matters relating to petitions, the examination thereof and the action to be taken thereon, as well as for relations with the Ombudsman.