European Union Committee

The European Union Committee[1] was a select committee of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its terms of reference were "to consider European Union documents and other matters relating to the European Union", as well as "to represent the House as appropriate in interparliamentary co-operation within the European Union".[2]

Much of the detailed scrutiny work on EU documents was conducted by the sub-committees, each dealing with a separate policy area. The main committee oversaw the work of the sub-committees and approved their reports as well as scrutinised proposals which crossed subject areas, such as the Treaty of Lisbon and the multiannual financial framework. Beginning in 2020, the committee also focused on the implementation of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.[3]

The main select committee had nineteen members: the chairperson, the chairs of the sub-committees, and other peers who also sat on the sub-committees. Committee members represented the House of Lords at a number of different interparliamentary meetings, such as COSAC and joint committee meetings at the European Parliament. As part of their work representing the House in interparliamentary co-operation within the EU, the committees contributed to the IPEX database, which brought together information about national parliamentary scrutiny from all EU member states.[4]

The European Union Committee was dissolved in March 2021. Most of its functions were allocated to the newly formed European Affairs Committee[5] and the International Agreements Committee which had previously been one of the sub-committees.

  1. ^ "European Union Committee home page".
  2. ^ "House of Lords Hansard, 16 May 2012, col. 400".
  3. ^ "European Union Committee – Role".
  4. ^ "House of Lords IPEX entry".
  5. ^ "New European Affairs Committee and Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland established". UK parliament | Committees News. 20 April 2021.

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