Rule 59 : Vote in Parliament – first reading

1.   Parliament may approve, amend or reject the draft legislative act.

2.   Parliament shall first vote on any proposal for the immediate rejection of the draft legislative act that has been tabled in writing by the committee responsible, a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold.

If that proposal for rejection is adopted, the President shall ask the originating institution to withdraw the draft legislative act.

If the originating institution does so, the President shall declare the procedure closed.

If the originating institution does not withdraw the draft legislative act, the President shall announce that the first reading of Parliament is concluded, unless, on a proposal of the Chair or rapporteur of the committee responsible or of a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold, Parliament decides to refer the matter back to the committee responsible for reconsideration.

If that proposal for rejection is not adopted, Parliament shall then proceed in accordance with paragraphs 3, 4 and 5.

3.   Any provisional agreement tabled by the committee responsible under Rule 69f(4) shall be given priority in voting and shall be put to a single vote, unless, at the request of a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold, Parliament decides instead to proceed with the vote on amendments in accordance with paragraph 4. In that case, Parliament shall also decide whether to hold the vote on the amendments immediately. If not, Parliament shall set a new deadline for amendments and the vote shall take place at a subsequent sitting.

If, in that single vote, the provisional agreement is adopted, the President shall announce that the first reading of Parliament has been concluded.

If, in that single vote, the provisional agreement fails to secure the majority of the votes cast, the President shall set a new deadline for amendments to the draft legislative act. Such amendments shall then be put to the vote at a subsequent sitting in order for Parliament to conclude its first reading.

4.   Save where a proposal for rejection has been adopted in accordance with paragraph 2 or a provisional agreement has been adopted in accordance with paragraph 3, any amendments to the draft legislative act shall then be put to the vote, including, where applicable, individual parts of the provisional agreement where requests have been made for split or separate votes, or competing amendments have been tabled.

Before Parliament votes on the amendments, the President may ask the Commission to state its position and the Council to comment.

After it has voted on those amendments, Parliament shall vote on the whole draft legislative act, amended or otherwise.

If the whole draft legislative act, amended or otherwise, is adopted, the President shall announce that the first reading has been concluded, unless, on a proposal of the Chair or the rapporteur of the committee responsible or of a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold, Parliament decides to refer the matter back to the committee responsible, for interinstitutional negotiations in accordance with Rules 59a and 69f.

If the whole draft legislative act, as amended or otherwise, fails to secure a majority of the votes cast, the President shall announce that the first reading has been concluded, unless, on a proposal of the Chair or rapporteur of the committee responsible or of a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold, Parliament decides to refer the matter back to the committee responsible for reconsideration.

5.   After the votes taken under paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, and the votes subsequently taken on amendments to the draft legislative resolution relating to procedural requests, if any, the legislative resolution shall be deemed to have been adopted. If necessary, the legislative resolution shall be modified pursuant to Rule 193(2), in order to reflect the outcome of the votes taken under paragraphs 2, 3 and 4.

The text of the legislative resolution and of Parliament's position shall be forwarded, by the President, to the Council and the Commission, as well as, where the draft legislative act originates from them, to the originating group of Member States, the Court of Justice or the European Central Bank.