European Parliament activities

Did you know?

...that the President and the Members of the Commission must receive a vote of approval from the European Parliament before taking office? Before the entry into force of the Nice Treaty, the Commission was appointed by the governments of Members by common accord. The Nice Treaty enshrined the procedure of approval by the European Parliament in the Treaty. Thus in the autumn of 2009 each of the 27 Commissioners designate were obliged to undergo individual hearings before the relevant EP committees.

Procedure for appointing the President of the Commission

REF.: 20081208TIP43980

Committees

Parliament has 20 policy committees, which meet, mainly in Brussels, throughout the year. Check out the committee page to find out which committees are meeting, when and what is on the agenda. You can also find information about who is who in the committees, minutes of the meetings, all the working documents and news about hearings and studies.

The latest memos

Plenary

The plenary sittings are the high point of parliament's work. This is where all the work done by the committees and political groups culminates. It is also where MEPs get to debate with other movers and shakers in the EU. The plenary sittings take place mainly in Strasbourg, the headquarters of the parliament, but some meetings also take place in Brussels.