Previous 
 Next 
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament
9th parliamentary term - November 2023
EPUB 143kPDF 681k
CONTENTS
NOTE TO THE READER
COMPENDIUM OF THE MAIN LEGAL ACTS RELATED TO THE RULES OF PROCEDURE

ANNEX III : CRITERIA FOR QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER UNDER RULES 138, 140 AND 141

1.   Questions for written answer shall:

–   clearly specify the addressee to whom they are to be transmitted through the usual interinstitutional channels;

–   fall exclusively within the limits of the competences of the addressee, as laid down in the relevant Treaties or in legal acts of the Union, or within its sphere of activity;

–   be of general interest;

–   be concise and contain an understandable interrogation;

–   not exceed 200 words;

–   not contain offensive language;

–   not relate to strictly personal matters;

–   not contain more than three sub-questions.

2.   Questions to the Council may not deal with the subject of an ongoing ordinary legislative procedure or with Council's budgetary functions.

3.   Upon request, the Secretariat shall provide authors with advice on how to comply in an individual case with the criteria laid down in paragraph 1.

4.   If an identical or similar question has been put and answered during the preceding six months, or to the extent that a question merely seeks information on the follow-up to a specific resolution of Parliament of a kind which the Commission has already provided in a written follow-up communication during the preceding six months, the Secretariat shall transmit to the author a copy of the previous question and answer or follow-up communication. The renewed question shall not be forwarded to the addressee unless the President so decides in the light of significant new developments and in response to a reasoned request by the author.

5.   If a question seeks factual or statistical information that is already available to Parliament's research services, it shall not be forwarded to the addressee but rather to those services, unless the President decides otherwise upon request by the author.

6.   Questions concerning related matters may be merged into a single question by the Secretariat and answered together.

Last updated: 24 October 2023Legal notice - Privacy policy