‘Silly’ questions prompt reform of Parliament rules

The European Parliament may soon start to “filter” written questions, which are often regarded as silly or irrelevant. But a tug of war is taking place on how strict the filter would be, as setting restrictions on MEPs’ right to ask questions to the Commission would not be easily accepted.

A working group on parliamentary reform is currently dealing with the issue, but its documents are not yet public. A final report is expected by the summer. 

In the meantime, non-attached MEP Ashley Mote has already thrown down the gauntlet, circulating a sarcastic email titled “European Parliament Invited to Castrate Itself”. He criticises his British compatriot Richard Corbett of the Socialist Group, who has proposed that written questions to the Commission be limited to three a month per MEP. He says this would allow the EU executive more breathing space, as it is required to answer such questions within six weeks. 

Corbett also wants to set certain guidelines so that, at the very least, questions on issues that have nothing to do with the EU would be inadmissible. 

But limitations or vetoes would be seen as unacceptable by many MEPs. Several “champions” have asked several hundred questions during their mandate, with non-attached UK member Robert Kilroy-Silk apparently in the lead. He has put forward more than 1000 questions since he was elected in 2004. 

Speaking to EURACTIV, Richard Corbett admitted that his motivations to set some guidelines were partly inspired by Kilroy-Silk’s inquisitiveness. 

One example of the kind of question asked by Kilroy-Silk, obviously inspired by a famous TIME magazine cover, reads: “Does the Commission attribute the death of culture in France to its absorption into the EU?”

Although bizarre questions are not the rule, other examples exist. One MEP has repeatedly asked the Commission to disclose whatever information it holds concerning unconfirmed reports about the death of Osama bin Laden. 

A colleague of his has also asked the European executive if it is planning to issue new directives on so-called “Islamic cars”, complete with GPS incorporated to point the way to Mecca. 

One MEP, who was apparently charged excessive fees by a Spanish bank, raised several questions on the subject, while another wanted to know whether the monopoly on cemeteries conforms to EU rules. 

What’s more, often almost identical questions are asked by several MEPs, who obviously ignore or neglect the initiatives of their fellow colleagues. 

Over 2,000 written questions have already been put to the Commission by members of the 785-strong European Parliament since the beginning of 2008. For 2007, they numbered over 6,000. 

Although the proportion of irrelevant questions does not appear so big, they potentially create an unnecessary workload on the European executive and waste public money. But Commission spokesperson Mark Gray declined to comment on how serious the problem was. 

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