Extending Rule 168 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure until the end of the tenth parliamentary term
B-9-2024-0159
· Rapporteur: by the Bureau
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Parliament decides to extend Rule 168 of its Rules of Procedure until the end of the tenth parliamentary term.¶ Rule 168 allows derogations from the rule that all Parliament documents are drawn up in the official languages and that Members may speak in the official language of their choice, when interpreters or translators are not available in sufficient numbers.¶¶ The Bureau recommended the extension because capacity in Irish and Maltese is not expected to allow full interpretation from the start of the tenth term, and qualified Irish translators are expected to remain too few for full coverage of documents other than legal acts of general application.¶¶¶ The decision follows the earlier extension of Rule 168 until the end of the ninth parliamentary term and the Bureau's subsequent decisions extending the derogation from Rule 167.¶
Key points
- Parliament decides to extend Rule 168 of its Rules of Procedure until the end of the tenth parliamentary term.¶
- Rule 167 requires all Parliament documents to be drawn up in the official languages and gives Members the right to speak in the official language of their choice, with interpretation into the other official languages.¶
- Rule 168 permits derogations from Rule 167 until the end of the ninth parliamentary term if, despite adequate precautions, interpreters or translators for an official language are not available in sufficient numbers.¶
- For each official language where a derogation is considered necessary, the Bureau, on a proposal from the Secretary-General and having regard to any temporary special arrangements adopted by the Council, must check whether the conditions are met and review its decision every six months.
- The derogation for Irish regarding legal acts of general application under Council Regulation (EC) No 920/2005 lapsed as from 1 January 2022.¶
- Despite all adequate precautions, capacity in Irish and Maltese is not expected to allow a full interpretation service in those languages from the beginning of the tenth parliamentary term.¶
- Despite sustained interinstitutional efforts and considerable progress, qualified translators for Irish are still expected to be so limited that full coverage under Rule 167 cannot be assured for documents other than legal acts of general application.¶
- Rule 168(4) allows Parliament, on the basis of a reasoned recommendation from the Bureau, to decide at the end of the parliamentary term to extend that Rule.¶
- The Bureau has recommended that Rule 168 be extended until the end of the tenth parliamentary term.¶
- Parliament instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission for information.¶
Who is affected
- Members of Parliament, whose right to speak in the official language of their choice may be subject to derogations under Rule 168.¶¶
- Users of Irish and Maltese, for whom full interpretation services are not expected from the start of the tenth parliamentary term.¶
- Users of Irish, for whom full coverage of documents other than legal acts of general application cannot be assured for the foreseeable future.¶
Figures and deadlines
- 1 January 2022: date from which the derogation for Irish regarding legal acts of general application lapsed.¶
Legal basis: Article 342 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union¶