Photo : Christian Adnin
A large glass citadel sits imposingly at the heart of the European quarter in Brussels. Divided into two buildings linked by a passageway, it stands several floors high. Members of Parliament, assistants, administrative staff and visitors – more than 5,000 people pass through its innumerable corridors. As an institution, the European Parliament often reflects its architecture: a real labyrinth, with its own rules and players.
An organ of the European Union, it is the only one to be elected every 5 years by direct universal suffrage. Last June, voters in 27 member states elected 736 members of parliament, with the right-wing parties retaining their majority. Seats are allocated in proportion to the population of each country. The President of the Parliament is elected by Euro-MPs for two and a half years on a renewable mandate. Since July, the post has been occupied by Jerzy Buzek, a Polish MP from the PPE political group. He directs the activities of the institution, presides over the plenary sessions and decides the budget.
The European Parliament has three main functions. Its legislative power allows it to participate in the decision-making process in collaboration with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. It supervises the expenses part of the European budget and exercises political and financial control over the activities of the European Union. The Treaties of Amsterdam (1999) and Nice (2003) have allowed it to extend its legislative function. It is at present a partner in the legislative process for a majority of the political questions concerning the European Union.
European law: from proposal to adoption
Each MP sits on political groups. Membership of a group is not defined by nationality, but by political affinity. There are seven (see following article), each with a President, a bureau and a secretariat. The MPs sit on the parliamentary benches according to their group, from left to right.
All the preparatory work is done in Brussels during parliamentary commissions shared out amongst the MPs. There are 20 of these, one for each particular area (Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence, International Trade, Employment and Social Affairs) and they are held once or twice a month. In case of specific problems, sub-commissions, special commissions and commissions of enquiry can be added. During these parliamentary commissions, the Euro MPs work on “legislative text” proposals presented by the European Commission. This organ has the monopoly of the legislative initiative. The MP in charge of the affair has to write a report and is known as the “reporter”. This report is then voted by the parliamentary commission and may be amended. Afterwards, the MPs meet twelve times a year in Strasbourg, headquarters of the European Parliament, for plenary sessions during which the reports are examined, amended and put to the vote. The laws are then adopted or not by the Council of the European Union, mostly in co-decision with the Parliament. For certain of these, the Council decides alone after consultation with Parliament.
The lobby as a legislative arm
Besides Brussels and Strasbourg, the European Parliament is also present in Luxembourg where its general secretariat, which employs around 4,600 civil servants, is located. Its mission is to co-ordinate the legislative work and to organise plenary sessions and meetings (infrastructures and logistics, translation, communication, etc.). As we have seen, a large part of the legislative work is done during meetings of parliamentary commissions in Brussels. To intervene on a future European law, it is in the interest of all lobbies to act at this time and even during the meetings of the different political groups. “During the plenary sessions in Strasbourg, it is already too late,” says Ben Butters, director of European affairs in Eurochambres, the association of European Chambers of Commerce. Many of the Chambers have understood this and the pressure groups they constitute influence the European members of parliament. “The Chambers have a protected space intimately linked to the economy,” says Jean-Pierre Audy, European MP and member of the PPE. “It is important they carry out lobbying activities.”
In the European Parliament, the lobbies are listened to and even contribute their experience on matters that are sometimes highly technical. They represent around 3,500 interest groups. In 1996, only 3% of the Commission’s proposals stemmed from its departments, the rest came directly from lobbies! The Chambers therefore have everything to gain.
Placing companies at the heart of decisions
Facilitating cooperation between the Chambers of Commerce and members of the European Parliament: this is the objective of the “Chambers meet MEPs” event organised by Eurochambres, the association of European Chambers. The debate taking place within Parliament itself has enabled the positions of the participants on various economic questions to be compared. “We would like to receive a clear signal from the European Parliament.” The message from Pierre Simon, President of Eurochambres is unequivocal. It has to be said that for Eurochambres to allow companies to play an active role in the decision-making process remains a priority. So the association in collaboration with the network of Chambers has been organising the European Parliament of companies since October 2008. Every two years, more than 770 SMEs are invited to Brussels to debate important topics with the members of the European Council and Parliament.
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