|
|
|
The European Parliament – II part
|
|
|
|
The European Parliament- about which we spoke in the previous episode- meets every month in Strasbourg, which is its natural seat. Strasbourg was, together with Luxembourg and Brussels, a temporary seat of the European Union. Only subsequently it was established that these seats, Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Brussels, would become the definitive seats of the European institutions. The European Parliament does not meet only in Strasbourg, but it also meets in Brussels, in the so-called "mini plenary sessions", that are short sessions lasting a couple of days. But Parliament has decided to create a new European Parliament’s seat in Brussels, in order to really represent the fiduciary relationship that must exist between an institution democratically appointed (the European Parliament) and the institutions such as the Commission and the Council, that are the executive bodies of the European Union. The European Parliament is managed by a presidency office, which is elected among the different political groups, so as to represent a balance among the different political parties. As far as the election of the President of the European Parliament is concerned, there is cooperation between the two most important political groups, the socialist and the popular group. The new President of the European Parliament is Josep Borrell. He is a socialist: he belongs to the European socialist groups and he’s going to stay in office for two years and a half. Why for two years and a half? Because there has been cooperation with the other important group of the European Parliament, the Christian Democrat group and in a two years and a half period, the representative of the popular group, Hans Poettering should take over from him. As I have already mentioned, the European Parliament operates through some specific commissions that are chaired by some representatives of the different political groups appointed on the basis of a choice that is made by negotiating also among the different political groups and the different commissions. Up to now, Italy for example, has had the chairmanship of 4 Commissions, more or less representing the same ratio of the other countries. To be noticed the fact that the most important commissions of the European Parliament are the institutional, the constitutional and the budget one, because it is exactly in the budget commission that one of the most important power of the European Parliament is exerted. Another important Commission in the European Parliament is the foreign affairs’ one. This is the commission within which all the matters concerning foreign policy are discussed. Despite the fact that the European Parliament has not a specific competence in this commission, it has anyway the right-duty to supervise the political indications given by the Council to the European Union. So the European Parliament can send some messages concerning the public opinion’s thought to the Council and to the Commission through its resolutions and indications. Parliament can give some indications that the executive bodies must follow in order to meet the main trends of the European Union, in accordance with public will.
|
|
