report parliamentary committee draft, 10 March 2025
On amendments to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure implementing the Agreement establishing the Ethics Body
Document AFCO-PR-770102 · (2025/2044(REG))
Committee on Constitutional Affairs · Rapporteur: Sven Simon
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Proposal for a european parliament decision 72 paragraphs
(2025/2044(REG))
The European Parliament,
having regard to the letter from its President of 14 May 2024,
having regard to the Agreement on the Ethics Body,
having regard to Rules 242 and 243 of its Rules of Procedure,
having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A100000/2025),
1.In order to implement the Agreement on the Ethics Body, decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as shown below;
2.Points out that the amendments will enter into force on the first day of the next part-session;
3.Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission, for information.
Amendment 1
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Title X a (new) – title
Read the rest (60 paragraphs)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| TITLE XA | |
| ETHICS BODY1a | |
| 1a As established by the Agreement on the Ethics Body. |
Or. en
Justification
A new title needs to be introduced into the Rules of Procedure to contain the provisions for the implementation of the Agreement on the Ethics Body.
Amendment 2
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 a (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239a | |
| Appointment of Parliament’s representative and alternate representative on the Ethics Body | |
| 1. Upon a proposal by the Conference of Presidents, the President shall appoint Parliament’s representative on the interinstitutional body for ethical standards (“the Ethics Body”) established by the Agreement on the Ethics Body. | |
| Upon a proposal by the Conference of Presidents, the President shall also appoint an alternate representative to sit as a member of the Ethics Body when the representative is absent or impeded. | |
| The representative and the alternate representative shall be at the level of Vice-Presidents. When appointing the representative and the alternate representative, the President shall strive to ensure gender balance. | |
| 2. The term of office of the representative and the alternate representative shall be two-and-a-half years and shall be renewable once. The term of office of a representative or alternate representative shall automatically come to an end when that representative or alternate representative ceases to hold office as Vice-President. Rule 19(2) shall apply mutatis mutandis. |
Or. en
Justification
Parliament’s representative and alternate representative on the Ethics Body need to be appointed at the level of a Vice-President (Article 3(1) to (3) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body). Their term of office should be limited to a certain period of time.
Amendment 3
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 b (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239b | |
| Conflicts of interest of Parliament’s representative and alternate representative on the Ethics Body | |
| If the representative is in a situation, which impairs his or her independence or impartiality when performing the tasks in the Ethics Body, the alternate representative shall replace the representative for as long as he or she is prevented from participating in the work of the Ethics Body. | |
| If the alternate representative is also affected by such a situation, the President, upon a proposal by the Conference of Presidents, shall designate a temporary alternate for as long as the situation lasts. |
Or. en
Justification
A procedure to designate a temporary alternate in case the representative and the alternate representative have a conflict of interest, needs to be laid down (Article 13(2) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body).
Amendment 4
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 c (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239c | |
| Activities of the representative or alternate representative on the Ethics Body | |
| 1. The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure shall establish Parliament’s position to be supported in the Ethics Body. It shall forward that position to the President, who shall inform Parliament thereof at its next part-session. | |
| Uncontested positions and positions adopted by Parliament shall be forwarded to the representative and the alternate representative. | |
| 2. The representative or, if applicable, the alternate representative shall report back to the committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure on the activities of the Ethics Body once a year or at its request. |
Or. en
Justification
The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure should be able to determine the mandate of Parliament’s representative or, if applicable, the alternate representative. The representative or, if applicable, the alternate representative should have a duty to inform the committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure on the activities of the Ethics Body.
Amendment 5
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 d (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239d | |
| Proposal of candidates for the role of independent experts of the Ethics Body | |
| The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure may propose candidates as independent experts of the Ethics Body in accordance with Article 5(2) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body. |
Or. en
Justification
A procedure for selecting candidates proposed by Parliament for the role of independent experts needs to be laid down (Article 5(2) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body).
Amendment 6
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 e (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239e | |
| Abstract interpretations of common minimum standards by the Ethics Body | |
| 1. The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure may request the representative or, if applicable, the alternate representative to ask the Ethics Body for an abstract interpretation of common minimum standards pursuant to Article 6(2), point (d), of the Agreement on the Ethics Body. | |
| 2. Whenever the Ethics Body provides an abstract interpretation of common minimum standards pursuant to Article 6(2), point (d), of the Agreement on the Ethics Body, that interpretation shall be published on Parliament’s website. |
Or. en
Justification
The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure should be able to request through the representative on the Ethics Body an abstract interpretation of common minimum standards. All abstract interpretations provided by the Ethics Body should be published on Parliament’s website (Article 6(2), point (d), of the Agreement on the Ethics Body).
Amendment 7
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 f (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239f | |
| Consultation of the independent experts of the Ethics Body | |
| 1. The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure may decide to consult and submit questions to the independent experts of the Ethics Body in accordance with Article 7(1) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body for the purpose of developing or updating an ethical standard. | |
| 2. The Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members1a may consult and submit questions to the independent experts of the Ethics Body in accordance with Article 7(1) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body for cases which require specific consideration. | |
| 3. Pursuant to Article 7(3) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body, the written opinion provided by the independent experts in response to the consultation or the questions is confidential and non-binding. | |
| 1a As established by Article 10 of Annex I. |
Or. en
Justification
The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure should be able to consult and submit questions to the independent experts of the Ethics Body for the purpose of developing or updating an ethical standard (Article 7(1) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body). The Advisory Committee on the Conduct of Members established by Article 10 of Annex I to these Rules of Procedure should be able to consult and submit questions to the independent experts of the Ethics Body for cases which require specific consideration (Article 7(1) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body).
Amendment 8
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 g (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239g | |
| Self-assessment of Parliament’s ethical standards | |
| The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure shall carry out a written self-assessment of Parliament’s internal rules and their alignment with the common minimum standards developed by the Ethics Body, as well as with any updates to the common minimum standards, in accordance with Article 10(1) and (2) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body. In accordance with Rule 55, the committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure shall submit to Parliament a report containing that self-assessment. |
Or. en
Justification
A procedure needs to be laid down for the self-assessment of the internal rules and their alignment with the common minimum standards developed by the Ethics Body (Article 10 of the Agreement on the Ethics Body).
Amendment 9
Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 239 h (new)
| Present text | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Rule 239h | |
| Examination of the annual report of the Ethics Body | |
| The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure shall examine the annual report adopted by the Ethics Body on its activities during the preceding year in accordance with Article 18(1) of the Agreement on the Ethics Body. The committee responsible for the Rules of Procedure may submit a motion for resolution to Parliament if it considers that Parliament needs to take a position in respect of any aspect of that report. |
Or. en
Justification
The annual report of the Ethics Body (Article 18 of the Agreement on the Ethics Body) should be examined in a similar way as annual reports by other bodies, such as the annual report of the Ombudsman.