Key facts
- The European Parliament is testing new rules to shorten debates and increase lawmaker attendance.
- The changes aim to improve engagement between MEPs and EU Commissioners.
- The upcoming June plenary session will trial these new measures.
- Debates will have set start and end times, and other activities will be rescheduled.
- MEPs will be encouraged to use "blue cards" for questions, and Commissioners will have more speaking time.
The European Parliament is set to implement new rules during its upcoming June plenary session aimed at combating empty seats during debates and fostering greater interaction with EU Commissioners. The decision, made by the chairs of the Parliament's political groups at the request of President Roberta Metsola, seeks to make parliamentary discussions more engaging and efficient.
Under the revised schedule, each debate will have a defined start and end time, addressing the issue of discussions frequently overrunning and leading to low attendance in the later hours. To further encourage participation, other parliamentary activities, such as political meetings and negotiations, will be moved to occur after the plenary debates. The use of "blue cards," a system allowing MEPs to pose questions to speakers, will also be promoted.
Additionally, the Parliament will continue a format for key debates where the order of speakers is not announced in advance, incentivizing MEPs to remain present throughout. EU Commissioners, who currently provide initial and closing statements, will now be permitted to speak during the debates to respond to lawmakers' interventions. A dedicated "question time" session, designed to scrutinize the European Commission, will also be introduced, focusing initially on the reporting burden for small and medium-sized enterprises.