Nieuwe regelgeving over geschreven vragen door Europarlementariërs (en)

Parliament adopted a report by Richard CORBETT (PES, UK) on new rules for written questions, this report introduces new guidelines for MEPs wanting to table a written question to either the Council or the Commission. According to the proposed changes, written questions will have to fall within the EU's competences, be concise and not contain offensive language. The report was adopted with 516 votes in favour, 143 against and 36 abstentions.

Parliament adopted the report to implement the proposals made by the Working Group on Parliamentary Reform, established last year and ably chaired by German Socialist MEP Dagmar ROTH-BEHRENDT. The modifications include new rules on own-initiative reports, proposals to make parliamentary debates more open and lively and guidelines for the procedure of tabling written questions to the Commission and Council.

Under the new rules 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.

 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.

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.

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.

Questions concerning related matters may be answered together.