The Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean institution provides a forum for the elected representatives of the EU and its southern neighbours around the Mediterranean to cooperate.
The Assembly describes three principal aims for its work:
Distribution of members
As a north- south forum, the Assembly brings together 44 parliaments -- the 43 parliaments of the countries in the Union for the Mediterranean, and the European Parliament.
The Assembly consists of 280 members:
Bureau and president
The Assembly is directed by a "bureau", made up of four members, who coordinate the work of the Assembly and draft its budget. The bureau remains in place for four years before new members are appointed.
Two bureau members are named by the parliaments of the southern Mediterranean countries, one by the European Parliament, and one by the EU national parliaments.
The president of the Assembly is one of the members of the bureau. He or she serves for one year, then the position is transferred to another Bureau member.
The other three members of the bureau are considered the Assembly's vice-presidents.
Committees
The Assembly has five standing committees
Through these, the Assembly contributes to the Union for Mediterranean's activities.
This contribution is reinforced through non-binding recommendations and declarations the Assembly adopts during its annual plenary session.
Secretariat
The Parliamentary Assembly's activities are coordinated by a small secretariat, established in 2013 when the European Parliament was acting as President of the Assembly.
The secretariat operates out of Brussels and from the parliaments that currently compose the bureau.