Rule 137 : Question Time

1.   Question Time with the Commission may be held at each part-session for a duration of up to 90 minutes on one or more specific horizontal themes to be decided upon by the Conference of Presidents one month in advance of the part-session.

2.   The Commissioners invited to participate by the Conference of Presidents shall have a portfolio related to the specific horizontal theme or themes on which questions are to be put to them. The number of Commissioners to be invited shall be limited to two per part-session. However, it shall be possible to invite a third Commissioner, depending on the specific horizontal theme or themes chosen for the Question Time.

3.   In accordance with guidelines established by the Conference of Presidents, specific question hours may be held with the Council, with the President of the Commission, with the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and with the President of the Eurogroup.

4.   Question time shall not be specifically allocated in advance. The President shall, as far as possible, ensure that Members that hold different political views and that come from different Member States are given the opportunity to put a question in turn.

5.   The Member shall be given one minute in which to formulate the question and the Commissioner two minutes in which to reply. That Member may put a supplementary question, lasting no longer than 30 seconds and having a direct bearing on the main question. The Commissioner shall then be given two minutes in which to give a supplementary reply.

Questions and supplementary questions must be directly related to the specific horizontal theme decided under paragraph 1. The President may rule on their admissibility.