Reforms for a modern and efficient European Parliament

Parliament has embarked on a series of reforms to strengthen its integrity and accountability and to modernise its working methods and procedures.

Table of contents

• Modernising Parliament’s ways of working
• Cooperation between the European Parliament and the European Commission
• Closing loopholes and increasing transparency
• Proxy vote during late pregnancy and after childbirth
• Whistleblowers
• Advances in anti-harassment policies
• Awareness raising and training
• Easily accessible information
• Further recommendations and actions

The ongoing reforms were introduced through a series of proposals put forward by Parliament President Roberta Metsola since 2022.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “The reforms we have put in place boost the integrity of Parliament's systems, make decision-making faster, more efficient and transparent, while strengthening the Parliament as a whole. We want to re-affirm that the European Parliament is an open, effective and modern institution.”

Modernising Parliament’s ways of working

A broader update of the European Parliament’s working methods began in early 2023, covering its legislative, budgetary, scrutiny, plenary and external activities.

The Conference of Presidents agreed on a reform package that introduced changes to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure as of the start of the 2024-2029 parliamentary term on 16 July 2024.

The reforms simplify how Commission proposals are assigned to committees, allowing files to be sent directly to one committee or to a small group of up to three, reducing disputes and enabling work to begin earlier.

For wide-ranging or complex dossiers, Parliament may now establish temporary legislative committees, while faster procedures can be used to prioritise specific files.

Clearer rules for resolving conflicts about which committee should deal with a piece of legislation aim to prevent delays caused by overlapping responsibilities, streamlining internal workflows and strengthening scrutiny within the EU’s democratic process.

Cooperation between the European Parliament and the European Commission

In September 2025, the European Parliament and the European Commission reached a provisional deal on a renewed Framework Agreement to boost cooperation, trust, transparency and dialogue between them.

The agreement builds on the nine political principles agreed by Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in October 2024. It strengthens the principle of equal treatment of Parliament and Council, clarifies the Commission’s role as an honest broker, and ensures Parliament receives full and timely information to perform its legislative, budgetary and scrutiny duties.

The draft also introduces firmer commitments for Commissioners to attend plenary and committee meetings when needed and to take part more regularly in wider parliamentary work, while supporting Parliament’s own efforts to improve Members’ attendance.

The updated agreement will take effect once endorsed by the Constitutional Affairs Committee, and then by the EP as a whole during a plenary session and signed by both Presidents.

Closing loopholes and increasing transparency

Following Parliament’s resolutions calling for more transparency and accountability as well as a stronger culture of security regarding foreign interference attempts, measures were taken in several areas.

Parliament’s Bureau, which takes decisions on administrative, organisational and staff matters, approved revised rules on former Members (new revolving door policy), new rules on access to the Parliament, and transparency obligations on interest representatives’ participation in events held on Parliament’s premises.

Parliament adopted further changes to its rules of procedure, including:

• tighter rules on all MEP activities that would constitute lobbying
• more transparency on input from external actors
• harsher penalties for breaches of the Code of Conduct
• a wider scope for mandatory declarations by MEPs about meetings with third parties
• clearer rules to help avoid conflicts of interest
• more details required in the declarations of private interests by members
• mandatory declarations of assets at the beginning and end of every term of office.

Rules have also been reinforced on MEPs accepting gifts and declaring travel and subsistence costs for third parties as well as a ban on engagement with former MEPs in the six months after they leave the Parliament. The role of the Advisory Committee on the Code of Conduct has been strengthened and its composition has been expanded.

Parliament has also boosted its cooperation with national judicial and law enforcement authorities.

Political group leaders clarified the rules regarding human rights urgency debates in plenary to protect the procedure from undue interference.

MEPs and managers in Parliament’s administration are required to disclose publicly their meetings with interest representatives and representatives of public authorities of non-EU countries.

Proxy vote during late pregnancy and after childbirth

Parliament proposed an update of the EU Electoral Act in November 2025 that would allow MEPs to vote by proxy during late pregnancy and in the first six months after childbirth. This reform would allow MEPs to fully exercise their mandates without having to choose between professional duties and parenthood.

Whistleblowers

The Bureau has adopted updated internal rules on whistleblowers. The rules clarify how someone working in Parliament can report serious irregularities (including anonymously). The rules indicate what potential whistleblowers should do, what they can expect to happen after they report something, and what information they should expect to receive.

Mandatory whistleblowing training has been introduced for managerial staff, with proposals to extend training to accredited assistants.

Advances in anti-harassment policies

The Bureau decided to establish a mediation service and gave its political backing to the introduction of mandatory training for MEPs. It also agreed to improve the existing procedures used by the Advisory Committee dealing with harassment complaints concerning MEPs. The new rules aim to streamline and shorten procedures as well as protect complainants.

Awareness raising and training

To ensure that all changes are being properly implemented, Parliament runs regular awareness-raising campaigns. It offers dedicated training to staff and Members on ethics, transparency and accountability requirements.

Easily accessible information

Parliament’s website has been updated to provide centralised and easily accessible information related to the integrity of parliamentary work under a new Transparency and Ethics tab.

Further recommendations and actions

An agreement was found in 2024 between the EU institutions and advisory bodies to establish an independent EU ethics body, entrusted to set up common ethical standards.

Other medium- and long-term recommendations have been proposed by the special committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation. These recommendations were debated and approved in July 2023. In December 2024, the European Parliament established a special committee on the European Democracy Shield to assess and develop further proposals on how the EU can counter malicious interference by foreign actors.