EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: RULES OF PROCEDURE SHOULD TIGHTEN PROVISION ON THE COMPOSITION OF GROUPS.

The debate on the composition of political groups stems from the case of the Techbnical Group of Independents (TGI), which was formally dissolved on October 2 in application of a ruling by the Tribunal of First Instance (see European Report 2623 for further details). The questions posed by this politically multi-coloured group was one of the main motivations for the Parliament to consider amending its rules of procedure. The TGI was dissolved a first time (see European Report 2429 and 2434 for further details) before reforming following a first ruling on appeal by the Court of First Instance (see European Report 2454, 2456 and 2460 for further details). At the time one of the group's two leading members, the Italian Radical Emma Bonino, lodged a request with the Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee demanding scope for unaffiliated MEPs to benefit from the same logistical structures in terms notably of secretarial and communication services, as mainstream political groups.In his report, regarding article 29 of the Parliament's rules of procedure, Richard Corbett not only follows up this request, but actually tightens up the conditions for the constitution of a Parliamentary group The committee is proposing that in future a political group must comprise Members elected in at least one fifth of the Member States. In addition, the minimum number of members...