European Union Select Committee

Latest News

Debate on a report by the European Union Committee on the Revision of the EU Directive on the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Purposes    

On Wednesday 10 February, the House of Lords will debate a report by the European Union Committee on the Revision of the EU Directive on the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Purposes. The debate will start around 2.30 p.m.

The report supported the Commission's objectives for the revised Directive: strengthening animal welfare, and ensuring a level playing-field for EU companies and research institutions. It also favoured the Commissin playing a robust role in monitoring implementation of the Directive

You will find links to the report, the Government's writtin response and further correspondence on the Committee's webpage http://www.parliament.uk/hleud.

You will find a list of Lords who will speak in the debate, updated in real time here.  You will be able to watch the debate live or later here.  A full transcript in House of Lords Hansard will appear here about 3 hours behind the debate and here in full on Thursday morning.

If you would like more information, or to attend the debate in person, please contact James Whittle whittlej@parliament.uk. Or just turn up: the Public Gallery will be open as usual.

December European Council

On Tuesday 12 January 2010 the Committee heard evidence from Chris Bryant MP on the December European Council. A full transcript of evidence was taken and is available here.

Ordinary legislative procedure (codecision) and national parliamentary scrutiny
The Select Committee published a report on this subject in July 2009. The Government response has been received, and further correspondence has taken place. The House of Lords debated the report on Thursday 28 January. You can watch the debate here.

Enhanced scrutiny of EU legislation with a United Kingdom opt-in
The Committtee's first report under new procedures for parliamentary scrutiny of opt-in decisions was debated on Tuesday 12 January. For the history of the new procedures, see Parliamentary control over Government decisions to opt in.

Subsidiarity

The Treaty of Lisbon gives new powers to national parliaments in respect of the subsidiarity principle.

Monthly Newsletter

The February edition of the Committee's monthly newsletter is now available. To subscribe or to give feedback please email us at euclords@parliament.uk with the word 'Newsletter' in the subject title.

Recent Publications

Remit

The European Union Committee of the House of Lords considers EU documents and other matters relating to the EU in advance of decisions being taken on them in Brussels. It does this in order to influence the Government's position in negotiations, and to hold them to account for their actions at EU level.

The Government are required to deposit EU documents in Parliament, and to produce within two weeks an Explanatory Memorandum setting out the implications for the UK.

The Committee examines these documents, and ‘holds under scrutiny’ any about which it has concerns, entering into correspondence with the relevant Minister until satisfied. Letters must be answered within two weeks. Under the ‘scrutiny reserve resolution’, the Government may not agree in the EU Council of Ministers to any proposal still held under scrutiny; reasons must be given for any breach.

The Committee also conducts inquiries and makes reports. The Government are required to respond in writing to a report’s recommendations within two months of publication. If the report is for debate, then there is a debate in the House of Lords, which a Minister must attend and respond to.

The full terms of reference and the Scrutiny Reserve, under which the Government will not usually agree proposals for the EU laws which the Committee is still considering, are available.

Structure of the EU Select Committee

The EU Committee consists of a single Select Committee and seven Sub-Committees which deal with specific EU policy areas. The Sub-Committees consider relevant items of scrutiny, conduct their own Correspondence with Ministers, and prepare Reports which must be endorsed by the Select Committee as a whole before publication.

The EU Select Committee itself does the following:

  • oversees the work of the Sub-Committees

  • approves draft Reports from Sub-Committees for publication

  • conducts inquiries into cross-cutting issues such as the Subsidiarity Mechanism contained in the Constitutional Treaty

  • hears evidence from every incoming EU Presidency and from the UK Minister for Europe after major European Councils.

The work of the sub-committees is divided as following:

Sub-Committee A - Economic and Financial Affairs, Trade and International Relations

Sub-Committee B - Internal Market

Sub-Committee C - Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy

Sub-Committee D - Environment and Agriculture

Sub-Committee E - Law and Institutions

Sub-Committee F - Home Affairs

Sub-Committee G - Social Policy and Consumer Affairs

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