Presentation and competencies

Presentation and competencies

Welcome to the webpage of the Committee on Legal Affairs.

Ubi societas, ibi ius; ubi ius, ibi societas


The Committee, otherwise known by its French acronym "JURI", is closely involved in helping citizens in their daily lives across the Union, through its responsibility for legislation in the field of civil law and private international law. As the Committee responsible for company law, it is also at the forefront of making life easier for businesses trading in the internal market. Competitiveness is also at the heart of our preoccupations, in particular through the big debate currently taking place on the protection of intellectual and industrial property.

The Committee is also responsible for the law governing the Union's administration and for parliamentary law, which includes the Statute for Members of the European Parliament, parliamentary immunity and the verification of Members' credentials after their election.

This Committee also has a highly specialised role as the legal adviser of Parliament on a certain number of horizontal questions: the legal basis of Union acts, implementing and delegated acts, and subsidiarity and disputes involving Parliament. Raising awareness within Parliament of the better lawmaking and simplification challenges is also one of the Committee's key concerns.

I hope that you will find this webpage helpful and informative.

Yours sincerely,


Klaus-Heiner Lehne, Chairman

Presentation and responsibilities

Committee responsible for:


1.    the interpretation and application of European law, compliance of European Union acts with primary law, notably the choice of legal bases and respect for the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;


2.    the interpretation and application of international law, in so far as the European Union is affected;


3.    the simplification of Community law, in particular legislative proposals for its official codification;


4.    the legal protection of Parliament's rights and prerogatives, including its involvement in actions before the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance;


5.    Community acts which affect the Member States' legal order, namely in the fields of:
(a)    civil and commercial law,
(b)    company law,
(c)    intellectual property law,
(d)    procedural law;


6.    measures concerning judicial and administrative cooperation in civil matters;


7.    environmental liability and sanctions against environmental crime;


8.    ethical questions related to new technologies, applying the procedure with associated committees with the relevant committees;


9.    the Statute for Members and the Staff Regulations of the European Communities;


10.  privileges and immunities as well as verification of Members' credentials;


11.  the organisation and statute of the Court of Justice;


12.  the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market.