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Termination of the mandate of a Member of the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾
The European Union counts representative democracy as one of its foundational tenets. In that regard, the mandate of a directly elected Member of the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ plays a crucial role. A Member's mandate includes an immunity status, protecting Members' independence to exercise their mandate freely. This legal status can prevent legal action, measures or even criminal investigation against the Member suspected of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, this parliamentary immunity is not an individual entitlement ...
Unfinished business from the ninth term
The ninth parliamentary term formally ended on 15 July 2024, ahead of the constitutive part-session of the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ elected on 6-9 June 2024. Despite their best efforts, the co legislators had not reached agreement on a number of legislative proposals before the end of the ninth term. These will form a major part of the business that needs to be picked up again in the tenth term. To ensure continuity in its work, ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ has adopted rules on how to deal with unfinished files.
Understanding the d'Hondt method: Allocation of parliamentary seats and leadership positions
To allocate seats in collegiate bodies, such as parliaments, a method is needed to translate votes proportionally into whole seats. The d'Hondt method is a mathematical formula that is used widely in proportional representation systems, although it leads to less proportional results than other seat allocation systems, such as the Hare-Niemeyer or Sainte-Laguë/Schepers methods. Moreover, the d'Hondt method tends to favour the electoral lists that win the most votes, to the detriment of those with ...
European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ work in the fields of impact assessment and European added value - Activity Report for 2023
This activity report summarises and explains the work undertaken by the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ in the fields of impact assessment and European added value between January and December 2023. It details the support given by the Directorate for Impact Assessment and Foresight within the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ary Research Service (EPRS) to assist parliamentary committees in their oversight and scrutiny of the executive in the fields of ex-ante impact assessment, European added value, and ex post evaluation ...
Argentina: Outcome of the 2023 elections – Beginning of a new era?
In the run-off election on 19 November 2023, Argentinians elected right-wing populist Javier Milei, aged 53, as the country's new president. Four weeks earlier, on 22 October 2023, general elections had taken place to elect the president, vice-president, members of the national congress and the governors of most provinces. Following the primaries of 13 August 2023, to the great surprise of all experts, anti-establishment candidate Javier Milei, leader and founder of the La Libertad Avanza party, ...
PETI Fact-finding visit to Donegal, Ireland - 30 October - 1 November 2023
This Briefing, written by the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾â€™s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee on Petitions (PETI), provides background information for the PETI Fact-finding visit to Donegal, Ireland, scheduled from 30 October to 1 November 2023. It investigates the issue of petitions 0789/2021, 0790/2021, 0799/2021, 0800/2021, 0801/2021, 0813/2021, 0814/2021 and 0837/2021 which raise concerns about the defective quality of certain building ...
The six policy priorities of the von der Leyen Commission: State of play in autumn 2023
This EPRS paper analyses progress made in carrying through the policy agenda set by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and her College of Commissioners when they took office in December 2019. It looks in particular at the state of play with respect to delivery of the agenda's six key priorities, as we enter the final months running up to the 2024 European elections. The von der Leyen Commission – either on taking office or more recently – has announced a total of 610 planned ...
In the context of on-going discussions to strengthen the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾'s integrity, independence and accountability, this is one in a set of publications in which the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ary Research Service will analyse relevant international and European standards relating to parliamentary ethics, as well as the rules and practices put in place in selected EU Member States to promote the principles of transparency, accountability and integrity within their national parliaments. Various international ...
Committees of inquiry in the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾
ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾ has been trying to strengthen its powers to conduct in-depth investigations into contraventions or maladministration in the implementation of European Union law since 2012, but has so far failed to gain the consent of the Commission or the Council for the modification of the legal framework applicable to its committees of inquiry. These powers were also discussed as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe. This paper updates a 2021 EPRS publication on the European ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾'s ...
Europees Parlement: feiten en cijfers
Deze briefing, die door de Onderzoeksdienst van het Europees Parlement (EP) is gepubliceerd, heeft tot doel belangrijke feiten en cijfers te verstrekken over het Europees Parlement. Zowel de huidige zittingsperiode (juli 2019 tot juni 2024) als de acht voorgaande vijfjarige zittingsperioden sinds de invoering van rechtstreekse verkiezingen in juni 1979 komen aan bod. Op de volgende bladzijden zult u allerlei grafieken aantreffen over: • de huidige en vroegere samenstelling van het Europees Parlement ...