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 institutions as laid down in the relevant Treaties and within the sphere of responsibility of the addressee, and 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.    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.

3.    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, the Secretariat shall transmit a copy of the previous question and answer to the author. 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.

4.    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 to those services, unless the President decides otherwise upon request by the author.

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