Belgian Presidency of the European Union
Parliamentary scrutiny in Belgium of the European decision making process.
Working


1. COMPETENCES

The Committee’s function is:

1. to coordinate and stimulate the parliamentary control of the European decision-making process;
2. to monitor the execution of the internal legislation, the resolutions and the recommendations with regard to European issues;
3. to deliver opinions, pursuant to article 168 of the Constitution, on the negotiations with a view to revising the Treaties on the European Union;
4. to draw up reports, in execution of article 92 quarter of the special law of August 8, 1980 on institutional reforms, concerning the proposals of normative acts of the European Commission.
5. to hear the Government, before and after each European Council, on the items put on the agenda and the conclusions;
6. to strengthen the parliamentary control on the European decision making process by taking initiatives in the field of interparliamentary cooperation (between the national parliaments and the European Parliament, among the national parliaments themselves and between the Federal Parliament and the Parliaments of the Communities and the Regions).The Committee will be represented at the COSAC (Conférence des organes spécialisés en Affaires communautaires – Conference of bodies specialized in European Affairs) which is organized, every six months, by the Parliament of the Member State holding the presidency of the European Union.
7. The preparation of the meeting of the Presidents of the EU national Parliaments is also a task of the Committee.
8. to inform, on a regular basis, the standing Committees on:
  • the important legislative proposals of the European Commission;
  • the legislative programmes of the European Union, the Communications of the European Commission and the White and Green Papers;
  • the agenda of the Council of Ministers of the European Union;
  • the reports of the Councils of Ministers to be communicated to the House by the Government;
  • the reports of the European Court of Auditors.
9. to devote each year a study to the government’s report on the execution of the Treaties on the European Union (according to the law of December 2, 1957, implementing the EEC-Treaty) and which also gives the current state of the situation with regard to the transposition of European law into domestic law.
10. to pronounce itself on the admissibility of written questions that the Belgian Members of the European Parliament can ask to the federal Government (according to the recommandation of the House of 15/07/1990 – Doc. House nr. 20 – 1251/1-89/90).
11. to deliver opinions on all the European matters.

The Advisory Committee can draw up initiative reports The Committee organizes its own work and deliberates in accordance with the provisions applying to standing Committees of the House.

The activities of the Federal Advisory Committee can be concluded with resolution proposals, recommendations or other final texts which are directly submitted to the plenary meeting of the House and/or the Senate

2. RELATIONS WITH THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

The Committee may decide to summon the members of the Government to appear before it.

In this framework, the Advisory Committee hears a number of Ministers (especially the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign affairs) expound, on the progress of negotiations within the Intergovernmental Conference

Hearings are also organized with the Prime Minister before and after each European Council of Heads of State and Government. These meetings are organized jointly with the Foreign affairs Committees of the House and the Senate
These meetings are organized jointly with the Foreign affairs Committees of the House and the Senate

3. RELATIONS WITH EUROPEAN UNION’S INSTITUTIONS AND COMPARABLE BODIES IN OTHER MEMBER STATES

A delegation of the Advisory Committee attends, twice a year, the meetings of the Conference of European affairs committees (COSAC) organized by the Parliament of the Member State holding the presidency of the European Union. In order to improve the cooperation between the European Parliament and the national parliaments members of the Federal Parliament regularly attend, at the invitation of the European Parliament, some of its committee meetings

4. CLERKS

House of Representatives
Public Relations and International Affairs Department

  • Dr. Hugo D’Hollander (Head European department)


    • Tel.: 00 32 2.549 80 60

  • Mr Daniel Lucion (secretary of the Advisory Committee on European Affairs)


    • Tel.: 00 32 2 549 80 78
    Fax : 00 32 2 549 83 02
    E-mail : euro@lachambre.be
Senate
Department of Interparliamentary Relations and European Affairs
  • Mr Tim De Bondt


    • Tel.: 00 32 2 501 77 80
    Fax : 00 32 2 501 72 16
    E-mail : tdb@senate.be
  • Mrs Julie Hubin


    • Tel.:00 32 2 501 76 14
    Fax : 00 32 2 501 72 16
    E-mail : jhu@senate.be

   Date last modified 18/05/2010