Rule 55 : Joint committee procedure

1.   When a question of competence is referred to it pursuant to Rule 201a, the Conference of Presidents may decide that the procedure with joint meetings of committees and a joint vote is to be applied, provided that:

-   by virtue of Annex V, the matter falls indissociably within the competences of several committees; and

-   it is satisfied that the question is of major importance.

2.   In that event, the respective rapporteurs shall draw up a single draft report, which shall be examined and voted on by the committees involved, under the joint chairmanship of the committee Chairs.

At all stages of the procedure, the rights attaching to the status of committee responsible may be exercised by the committees involved only when they are acting jointly. The committees involved may set up working groups to prepare the meetings and votes.

3.   At the second-reading stage of the ordinary legislative procedure, the Council position shall be considered at a joint meeting of the committees involved, which, should no agreement be reached between their Chairs, shall be held on the Wednesday of the first week set aside for meetings of parliamentary bodies following the communication of the Council’s position to Parliament. If no agreement is reached on the convening of a further meeting, any such meeting shall be convened by the Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs. The vote on the recommendation for second reading shall be taken at a joint meeting on the basis of a joint text drafted by the respective rapporteurs of the committees involved or, in the absence of a joint text, on the basis of the amendments tabled in the committees involved.

At the third-reading stage of the ordinary legislative procedure, the Chairs and rapporteurs of the committees involved shall be members ex officio of the delegation to the Conciliation Committee.