Batteries Recycling © Crown Copyright 2008 Working with the EP

Batteries Recycling© Crown Copyright 2008

Working with the EP


Germany (99)France (78)Italy (78)

United Kingdom (78)

Poland (54)Spain (54)

Romania (35)

Netherlands (27)Belgium (24)

Czech Republic (24)

Greece (24)Hungary (24)Portugal (24)Sweden (19)Austria (18)

Bulgaria (17)Denmark (14)Finland (14)

Slovakia (14)Lithuania (13)

Rep. of Ireland (13)

Latvia (9)

Slovenia (7)Cyprus (6)Estonia (6)

Luxembourg (6)

Malta (5)

NI (30)IND/DEM (24)

GUE/NGL (41)Greens/EFA (42)

UEN (44)ALDE (101)

PES (215)EPP-ED (288)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Total:785 MEPs


Standing Committees of the EP• Foreign Affairs

• Development

• International Trade

• Budgets

• Budgetary Control

• Economic and Monetary Affairs

• Employment and Social Affairs

•Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

• Industry, Research and Industry

• Petitions

• Internal Market and Consumer Protection

• Transport and Tourism

• Regional Development

• Agriculture and Rural Development

• Fisheries

• Culture and Education

• Legal Affairs

• Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

• Constitutional Affairs

• Women’s Rights and Gender Equality


Committee(s) and Plenary

Simple majority

General Approach, Political Agreement

Working Groups, COREPER,

Council

QMV

Co-decision: 1st Reading dealCommission publishes

draft Directive

European Parliament amends

Council accepts Parliament amendments

Directive agreed



Simple majority


Council

QMV



Council

QMV


Absolute majority

Co-decision: 2nd Reading dealCommission publishes

draft Directive


Council rejects Parliament amendments

Common Position


Council accepts Parliament amendments

Directive agreed



Simple majority

27 MEPs, 27 MS, Commission

Prepared by trialogue


Council

QMV



Council

QMV


Absolute majority

Co-decision: 3rd Reading dealCommission publishes

draft Directive



Common Position



Conciliation

3rd ReadingDirective agreed


Briefing MEPs

• UK Govt provides written briefing to UK MEPs on all Commission proposals

• Impartiality: UK officials should send or offer any briefing to all UK political groupings

• You may also brief influential MEPs from other Member States

Offer the rapporteur, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee, and leadership of the political groups full written briefing with an oral briefing as a follow-up

Members of the lead Committee could be sent a general paper setting out concerns and improvements

• Don’t forget the EP Committee Secretariat


Briefing MEPs

• Assume it will be made public

• Briefing is needed at least a week before a proposal is first discussed in Committee, and a short update between Committee and Plenary, giving HMG’s views on specific amendments adopted by the Committee – possibly a Ministerial letter on issues of key importance

• Use the phone – MEPs are usually working to a fast-moving Parliamentary timetable, so advice over the phone will often be particularly influential


Effective briefing

Concentrates on:

• Specific problems with the proposal, including why it poses problems for specific groups and individuals

• Realistic solutions, based around textual amendments which would remove or ameliorate the problem

• Points where EP support is likely, or at least conceivable, rather than points which matter to you

• The EP’s own procedures, so that briefing is appropriate to the stage the proposal has reached in the Parliament

Documents

Batteries Recycling © Crown Copyright 2008 Working with the EP