WRITTEN DECLARATION

FACTS AND HISTORY

• FACTS

Rule 116
Written declarations

1.   Up to five Members may submit a written declaration of not more than 200 words on a matter falling within the sphere of activities of the European Union. Written declarations shall be printed in the official languages and distributed. They shall be included with the names of the signatories in a register. This register shall be public and shall be maintained outside the entrance to the Chamber during part-sessions and between part-sessions in an appropriate location to be determined by the College of Quaestors.

2.   Any Member may add his signature to a declaration included in the register.

3.   Where a declaration is signed by the majority of Parliament's component Members, the President shall notify Parliament accordingly and publish the names of the signatories in the minutes.

4.   Such a declaration shall, at the end of the part-session, be forwarded to the institutions named therein together with the names of the signatories. It shall be included in the minutes of the sitting at which it is announced. Publication in the minutes shall close the procedure.

5.   A written declaration that has stood in the register for over three months and has not been signed by at least one half of the component Members of Parliament shall lapse.
 

• HISTORY

A total of 161 Written Declarations (WD) proposals were put forward in the period from (1999-2004) i.e. 5th term, only 7 were adopted and the rest were lapsed.
5th Term MEPs number was 785 and 6th term (2004-2009) it is 732 1999(10), 2000(23), 2001(14), 2002(21), 2003(31), 2004(62), the adopted

WD were:

• On the rights of deaf-blind people
  Distributed: (date) 12/01/2004
  Lapse date: 12/04/2004
  Adopted: (date) 01/04/2004
  Number of signatories: 323 - 01/04/2004

• On live transport of animals from Member States and EU candidate countries
  Distributed: (date) 10/03/2003
  Expiry date: 10/06/2003
  Adopted: (date) 04/06/2003
  Number of signatories: 333 - 04/06/2003

• On the fight against piracy and counterfeiting in the enlarged EU
  Distributed: (date) 26/03/2003
  Expiry date: 26/06/2003
  Adopted: (date) 05/06/2003
  Number of signatories: 321 - 05/06/2003

• On a ban on cat and dog fur
  Distributed: (date) 22/09/2003
  Expiry date: 22/12/2003
  Adopted: (date) 18/12/2003
  Number of signatories: 346 - 18/12/2003

• On the election of the President of the European Commission by the European Parliament
  Distributed: (date) 17/10/2002
  Expiry date: 17/01/2003
  Adopted: (date) 16/01/2003
  Number of signatories: 320 - 16/01/2003

• On the remembrance of the Holocaust
  Distributed: (date) 01/03/2000
  Expiry date: 01/06/2000
  Adopted: (date) 05/05/2004
  Number of signatories: 353 - 01/06/2000

• On terrorism in Spain
  Distributed: (date) 18/09/2000
  Expiry date: 18/12/2000
  Adopted: (date) 05/05/2004
  Number of signatories: 413 - 18/12/2000
  
  
  The total number of MEPs for the 6th term (2004-2009) is 732, half of this number is 366. Large countries in the EU has high representation in the EP, Germany (99), UK (78), France(78), Italy(78), Poland(54), other countries are represented with less than 25 MEPs. There are 222 women MEPs.
  
  Parties represented in the EP include:
  
  1. Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats 268
  2. Socialist Group in the European Parliament 202
  3. Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe 88
  4. Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance 42
  5. Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left 41
  6. Independence/Democracy Group 36
  7. Union for Europe of the Nations Group 27
  8. Non-attached Members 28