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Ordinary legislative procedure First reading

Public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents

A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.

Where it stands: Parliament voted its first-reading position on 15 December 2011. Next: negotiations with the Council, unless the Council accepts Parliament’s text as it stands.

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 22 May 2008
  2. ✓ Committee work
  3. ✓ Tabled for plenary 30 November 2011
  4. ✓ Plenary vote Voted 15 December 2011
  5. 5 Negotiations with the Council
  6. 6 Published as law
How a file moves through Parliament

A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. For a law, Parliament’s adopted text is its first-reading position; Parliament and the Council then negotiate a common text (trilogues) which both must approve before it is published as law.

The text, version by version

Adopted by Parliament · latest Adopted text TA7-0580/2011 15 December 2011 ⇄ what changed Adopted by Parliament Adopted text TA6-0114/2009 11 March 2009 ⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A7-0426/2011 30 November 2011 ⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A6-0077/2009 19 February 2009

Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph.

Timeline

  1. Plenary stage
  2. 15 December 2011 Plenary vote
    📄 Adopted text TA7-0580/2011
  3. 30 November 2011 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A7-0426/2011
  4. 5 May 2009 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 5 May 2009 📄 Report A6-0077/2009
  5. 11 March 2009 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 11 March 2009 📄 Adopted text TA6-0114/2009📄 Report A6-0077/2009
  6. 19 February 2009 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A6-0077/2009
  7. Committee stage
  8. 22 May 2008 Referred to committee

    The lead committee prepares Parliament’s report.