Secretariat of the European Parliament
Encyclopedia
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
headed by a Secretary-General. It is based in the Kirchberg
Kirchberg, Luxembourg
Kirchberg or the Kirchberg is a quarter in north-eastern Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It consists of a plateau situated to the north-east of the city centre, Ville Haute....
district of Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
and around the Brussels-Luxembourg Station
Brussels-Luxembourg Station
Brussels-Luxembourg railway station is a station in the European Quarter of Brussels under the Esplanade of the European Parliament .-History:...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and employs 4000 officials.
Secretary-General
The Secretary General of the European Parliament is appointed by the BureauBureau (European Parliament)
The Bureau of the European Parliament is responsible for matters relating to the budget, administration, organisation and staff. It is composed of the President of the European Parliament along with all 14 Vice-Presidents and the five Quaestors . They are elected for two and a half years with the...
of the Parliament. The post is responsible for administration and assisting the President
President of the European Parliament
The President of the European Parliament presides over the debates and activities of the European Parliament. He or she also represents the Parliament within the EU and internationally. The President's signature is required for enacting most EU laws and the EU budget.Presidents serve...
, MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
s and the Parliaments bodies. He also deals with the day-to-day running of business and prepares basic reports for budget estimates. The Secretary General also has to sign, together with the President, all acts adopted by the Parliament and Council
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
.
The Secretaries-General to date have been;
- Frits de Nerée tot Babberich 1958 - 1963
- Hans Nord 1963 - 1979
- Julian Priestley 1997 - 2007
- Harald Rømer 2007 - 2009
- Klaus Welle 2009 - present
Legal Service
The Parliament's legal services advises members and bodies on matters of European law, helping in drafting of legislation and representing the Parliament in Courts.Presidency
The Directorate-General for the Presidency (DG PRES) organises plenary sittings and for follow-up activities including protocol, mail, register, archives and security.Internal Policies
The Directorate-General for Internal Policies (DG IPOL) deals with assisting the work of Parliament’s committees and their chairmen as well as coordinating relations and cooperation with the other institutionsInstitutions of the European Union
The European Union is governed by seven institutions. Article 13 of Treaty on European Union lists them in the following order: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European...
and national parliaments. The DG also supplies expert information and research to the members and committees. This is the task of the Policy Departments who produce studies, upon request, on topics for the members. One specific policy department is STOA the Scientific Assessment Technology Options which advises committees and members on such topics
External Policies
The Directorate-General for External Policies (DG EXPO) deals with assisting the work of Parliament’s delegations, committees and their chairmen as well as coordinating relations and cooperation with the other institutions, national parliaments and foreign bodies. It also forms half of the co-secretariat of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary AssemblyACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
The ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the elected representatives of the European Union and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states that have signed the Cotonou Agreement.Since the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union...
, the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly
The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly , established in Naples on 3 December 2003 by decision of the Ministerial Conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, is the most recent institution of the Barcelona Process. The EMPA opened its proceedings in Vouliagmeni on 22 and 23 March 2004...
, the Eurolat
Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly
The Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly is a trans-national body of 150 Parliamentarians from Europe and Latin America. It was established in 2006 to bolster EU-Latin American relations...
and the Europan Eastern neighbours parliamentary assembly secretariat. The DG organises both delegation visits to non EU states and visits to the parliament by external state delegations. The DG also supplies expert information and research to the members and committees on topics relating to external countries. This is the task of the Policy Department who produce studies, upon request, on topics for the members. These studies, being produced by or for the European Parliament, are published on the Europarl website.
Communication
The Directorate-General for Communication (DG COMM) deals with public information and media. Its staff includes the spokesperson of the Parliament (currently Jaume Duch GuillotJaume Duch Guillot
Jaume Duch Guillot, born in February 1962 in Barcelona , is the spokesperson of the European Parliament a position he held first ad interim and permanently since July 2008.-Function:...
), the press service and a network of public information offices across member states. It also manages the Europarl website.
Personnel
The Directorate-General for Personnel (DG PERS) deals with the human resources of the other DGs, including giving staff access to vocational training.Infrastructure and Logistics
The Directorate-General for Infrastructure and Logistics (DG INLO) manages the buildings of the European Parliament (spread over StrasbourgSeat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg
The city of Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament. The institution is legally bound to meet there twelve sessions a year lasting about four days each. Other work takes place in Brussels and Luxembourg City...
, Brussels
Espace Léopold
The Espace Léopold or is the complex of parliament buildings in Brussels housing the European Parliament, a legislative chamber of the European Union ....
and Luxembourg
European Parliament in Luxembourg
The European Parliament's presence in Sandweiler currently consists of the Parliament's secretariat, although the Parliament had held plenary sessions in the city for a brief period.-History:...
) and its member-state offices and equipment.
Translation
The Directorate-General for Translation (DG TRAD) is responsible for written translation of the Parliament's documents.Interpretation and Conferences
The Directorate-General for Interpretation and Conferences (DG INTE) manages meeting rooms and interpretation for all meetings organised by the Institution.Finance
The Directorate-General for Finance deals with the Parliaments budgetary and financial affairs. Preparing and checking the budget and monitoring its subsequent implementation. It is also responsible for official accounting and treasury operations as well as MEPs' finances.Innovation and Technological Support
The DG Innovation and Technological Support (DG ITEC) consists of The Directorate for Information Technologies (DIT), the central ITC support and computing and network centre and Directorate for Publishing and Distribution which deals with the publication of parliamentary material such as working documents and the official journal.Staff
- As of April 2009
See also
- Directorates-General (of the Commission)
- European Parliament in LuxembourgEuropean Parliament in LuxembourgThe European Parliament's presence in Sandweiler currently consists of the Parliament's secretariat, although the Parliament had held plenary sessions in the city for a brief period.-History:...
- Institutions of the European UnionInstitutions of the European UnionThe European Union is governed by seven institutions. Article 13 of Treaty on European Union lists them in the following order: the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European...
- Location of European Union institutionsLocation of European Union institutionsThe governing institutions of the European Union are not concentrated in a single capital city; they are instead spread across three cities with other EU agencies and bodies based further away...
External links
- Secretariat of the European Parliament
- Subcommittee on Security and Defence Minutes Meeting of 6 March 2008 Page 5, List of DGs.