On Wednesday, Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) re-elected Antonio Tajani (EPP, IT) as Chair for the second half of the legislative term.
Antonio Tajani (EPP, IT) was elected as Chair by acclamation during the first meeting of 2022, held on Wednesday. For the Vice-Chair positions of the committee bureau, MEPs re-elected Gabriele Bischoff (S&D, DE), Charles Goerens (Renew Europe, LU), Giuliano Pisapia (S&D, IT), and Loránt Vincze (EPP, RO).
Like the Parliament’s Bureau, and taking into account the different circumstances that committee work represents, committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs are responsible for their respective committee’s smooth functioning. In addition to presiding over committee meetings, the Chair represents the committee both within and outside Parliament and presides over legislative negotiations led by the committee. Vice-Chairs can replace the Committee Chair when necessary and they may also be invited to committee coordinator meetings in a consultative role.
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After his re-election, Chair Antonio Tajani said: ‘‘Thank you for the support and trust you have placed in me and for the excellent work you’ve carried out over the course of the two and a half years for the overarching interests of the European Parliament and our fellow European citizens.’’ He then added: ‘‘We will work tirelessly to make sure that the European Parliament has more power within its remit, specifically the power of legislative initiative.’’
Background
Committee bureaus are elected for two-and-a-half year terms. The diversity of Parliament must be reflected in the composition of the bureau of each committee, so it is not possible to have an all-male or all-female bureau or for all of the Vice-Chairs to come from the same Member State.