Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/310131
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 MAY 2014 VIII THE European Parliament is the only body directly elected by citi- zens in the European Union, and the 24 May elections will allow voters in Malta and the other 27 member states to choose the representatives who will shape and decide future legislation. For many years, European Parlia- ment was simply a talking shop and a purely consultative body. But since EU citizens started electing their representatives and thanks to the ac- tive work of MEPs, it has been able to secure greater powers and acquire the status of equal partner in co-de- cision with the Council in areas cov- ering three quarters of Community legislation. Following the Lisbon Treaty, MEPs were vested with greater powers and they can now negotiate legislation with the Council, made up of nation- al government ministers, in what is called co-decision. The co-decision process, by which a law is only passed when approved by both bodies, applies to pivotal legislation areas including agricul- ture, the single market, consumer rights, regional aid, workers' rights, asylum and migration, and the envi- ronment. Although the European Parlia- ment has been given more powers, most EU legislation still originates from the unelected European Com- mission. But MEPs can nonetheless press the Commission to legislate on par- ticular issues. They can also act on issues raised by voters who petition them directly, as happened in the case of the Anti- Counterfeit Trade Agreement (AC- TA) and the fisheries reform, where public pressure made a big impact. MEPs also have the power to sanc- tion EU trade agreements with non- EU countries and the accession of new member states. Moreover, despite being elected directly by voters, the parliament does not function like national parliaments, which are made up of a government and opposition parties, or a single opposition party in Malta's case. Under the Lisbon Treaty, the parliament's co-decision powers were enhanced, to give it a bigger say over ag- riculture and the budget, but the composition of the new parliament will most probably hold a decisive influence on the future of the EU – particularly if, as expected, there is a surge in the number of Eurosceptic MEPs. With the possibility of a bigger presence of Eu- rosceptic MEPs repre- senting a wide range of parties such as the far-right National Front in France and the populist 5-Star Move- ment led by Beppe Grillo in Italy, the Eu- ropean P a r - l i a - ment could embark on a different direction, with bigger autonomy be- ing granted to member states. How does Parliament function? Plenary sittings are chaired and overseen by the President of the Eu- ropean Parliament. The president's signature is re- quired for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget and is normally divided between the two major po- litical parties, the European People's Party and the Socialists. In the last legislature the post was shared by EPP member Jerzy Buzek and S&D MEP Martin Schulz. Four- teen vice-presidents, who can take over the chair if necessary, assist the President in carrying out the re- quired duties. The president opens plenary sit- tings and oversees proceedings by calling upon speakers and ensuring proper conduct. In addition, the president also directs voting proce- dures, putting amendments and legislative resolutions to the vote and announcing the results. The majority of MEPs belong to a political group, of which there are currently seven, representing all ideological currents in the EP. This number is set to grow, with Eurosceptics and populists ex- pected to garner enough numbers to form new political groups. Yet, a number of MEPs are not affiliated to any politi- cal group and are described as "non-attached" members. Political groups decide which issues should be included on the agenda and discussed in plenary sessions. Parties have the power to propose amendments to the committee reports to be put to the vote, but MEPs are granted a free vote and unlike national MPs, members of the European Parliament vote against their own party. The European Commission and the Council of the European Un- ion also participate in plenary sit- tings in order to facilitate collabo- ration between the institutions in the diverse decision-making proc- esses. Upon Parliament's request, Commission and Council repre- sentatives may be called to ap- pear in front of MEPs and make declarations or to give an account of their activities in response to q u e s t i o n s put to them. The plenary agenda is drawn up in de- tail by the presidents of the politi- cal groups while the Conference of Committee Chairpersons can make recommendations regarding the work of the committees and the drafting of the plenary agenda. Plenary business mainly focuses on debates and votes. Texts and decla- rations must be signed by a majority of MEPs to formally become acts of the European Parliament. Text and declarations vary de- pending on the subject under con- sideration and the applicable leg- islative procedure. These include legislative reports, which are exam- ined by MEPs in the framework of the various community legislative procedures such as co-decision, as- sent and consultation. Only the co-decision procedure gives Parliament an equal role as legislator with the Council of the European Union, meaning certain parliamentary reports have more legislative weight than others. Another pivotal aspect in the Par- liament's functions is the budgetary procedure. The European Parlia- ment and the Council of the Europe- an Union make up the bloc's budget- ary authority, which determines, on an annual basis, the EU's expendi- ture and revenue. During plenary sittings, Parliament can decide to express its opinion on any matter it deems important. Parliament can also ask the Com- mission to submit an appropriate proposal on issues which, in Parlia- ment's view, require a community legislative act to be adopted. The sitting also includes a period set aside for question time with the Council and the Commission. Ques- tions must be submitted in advance, in writing, to the President of Parlia- ment, who decides whether they are admissible. Committees Committees play an impor- tant role in drafting non-legis- lative reports which Parliament can adopt to address the other European institutions and bodies, including national governments, or indeed third countries, with the aim of drawing attention to a specific mat- ter and eliciting a response. Although these reports have no legislative value, these initiatives are founded on a parliamentary legiti- macy which may well convince the Commission to come up with pro- posals on the matter concerned. This happened with Malta's con- troversial Individual Investor Pro- gramme, which was at the centre of a two-day debate in the European Par- liament, with 89% of MEPs approv- ing a resolution which called on the Commission to state clearly whether citizenship schemes respect the let- ter and spirit of the EU treaties and EU rules on non-discrimination. In order to do the preparatory work for Parliament's plenary sit- tings, MEPs are divided up among a number of specialised standing com- mittees. At present, there are 22 parliamen- tary standing committees, which are made up of between 24 and 76 MEPs, and these have a chair, a bu- reau and a secretariat. The political make-up of the com- mittees reflects that of the plenary assembly, and are entrusted with drawing up, amending and adopting legislative proposals and own-initia- tive reports. Committees consider Commission and Council proposals and, where necessary, draw up reports to be pre- sented to the plenary assembly. Parliament can also set up sub- Europe 2014 Jurgen Balzan The European Parliament at a glance The plenary agenda is drawn up in de- tail by the presidents of the politi- cal groups while the Conference of Committee Chairpersons can make recommendations regarding the work of the committees and the Committees Committees play an impor- tant role in drafting non-legis-