Retsudvalget 2024-25
REU Alm.del Bilag 45
Offentligt
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Updated version in view of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU
JPSG Written and Oral Questions
Guide for Members
INTRODUCTION
The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol (JPSG) brings together Members of national
parliaments and the European Parliament to fulfil the scrutiny and oversight on the activities
of Europol including fundamental rights.
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The JPSG meets at least twice a year and is Co-Chaired by the European Parliament and the
parliament of the country holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
RIGHT TO ASK QUESTIONS
Article 4.2. of the JPSG Rules of Procedure:
Right to ask questions
Members of the JPSG may address both oral and written questions to Europol. Written questions
may also be asked outside the meeting framework and independently of items listed on the
agenda and shall be answered within an appropriate timeframe. The questions shall reflect the
mandate of the JPSG as defined in Regulation (EU) 2016/794 (Europol Regulation). These
questions shall be relayed to Europol after their admissibility has been checked by the Co-Chairs
and the question is deemed to be in line with the Europol regulation. A further written reply can
be requested in case the answer to an oral question is deemed insufficient.
The Rules of Procedure of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol in its Art. 4 (4.2)
set up the right to ask questions as part of the scrutiny tasks. Members of the JPSG – individually
or jointly - may address questions to Europol. There are two categories of questions: written
and oral ones.
Both oral and written questions shall reflect the mandate of the JPSG as defined in Regulation
(EU) 2016/794 (Europol Regulation). These questions shall be relayed to Europol after their
admissibility has been checked by the Co-Chairs and once they are deemed to be in line with
the Europol Regulation.
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The JPSG was constituted pursuant to Art. 51 of Regulation (EU) 2016/794 (Europol Regulation) and Art. 88 TFEU.
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WRITTEN QUESTIONS
The Members of the JPSG are invited to send their written questions by email to the JPSG Co-
chairs. During the Hungarian Presidency the contact details are:
European Parliament:
Mr Javier ZARZALEJOS, Co-Chair of the JPSG, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice
and Home Affairs,
[email protected].
Hungarian National Assembly (Országgyűlés):
Mr Imre VEJKEY, Co-Chair of the JPSG, Chair of the Committee on Justice,
Mr Lajos KÓSA, Co-Chair of the JPSG, Chair of the Committee on Defence and Law
Enforcement,
[email protected].
Requirements to submit written questions:
Written questions may be asked outside the meeting framework and independently of items
listed on the agenda and shall be answered by Europol within a six-week timeframe. The text
submitted to the Co-Chairs as a written question addressed to Europol shall be explicitly
marked as a ‘Written Question’. An email of confirmation of the receipt of a (set of) written
question(s) shall be sent from the mailbox:
[email protected],
with a
copy to
[email protected].
With regard to the JPSG meeting of 12 November 2024 and in view of the summer break, please
send any written questions by 17 September 2024.
Step one – Admissibility
The Co-Chairs decide whether or not the written questions meet admissibility requirements
within a week. The Member raising non admissible questions is informed via email without any
further delay together with a written explanation.
Step two – Europol
The Co-Chairs - in line with Art. 4 (4.2) of the JPSG Rules of Procedure - submit the admissible
written questions via the JPSG LIBE Secretariat mailbox to Europol asking for a reply within a
six-week timeframe.
Should the written questions not be clear enough, Europol may ask the Co-Chairs via the JPSG
LIBE Secretariat for further clarifications on them. In that case, the Co-Chairs ask the Member
to explain in more detail the substance of his/her questions. The clarification should be sent
within a week by the Member who submitted the question.
All JPSG Members are informed about admissible written questions after their submission to
Europol by the Co-Chairs via e-mail as part of the meeting documents for the upcoming JPSG
meeting and the IPEX website.
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Step three - receipt of the reply
Europol sends the reply to the Co-Chairs via the JPSG LIBE Secretariat.
The Co-Chairs transmit the reply to all JPSG Members via e-mail as part of the meeting
documents for the upcoming JPSG meeting and publish it on the IPEX website.
Step four - possible further clarification
In case the reply is not satisfactory to the Member who submitted the question, the Member
may inform the Co-Chairs on this. The Member can ask a follow up written question to which
the same six week requested timeframe applies. If the Member prefers, the point raised in the
question could instead be addressed orally during the following JPSG meeting in the exchanges
with Europol. At that meeting, the Member concerned can ask for further clarifications.
ORAL QUESTIONS
The Members of the JPSG may, during the appropriate point on the agenda of the JPSG meeting
ask Europol oral questions linked to the listed topics on the agenda. In case Members wish to
notify Europol beforehand on the content of their specific question as to enable Europol to
provide a more detailed answer, they can do so following a similar approach as for written
questions and contact the Co-Chairs.
To make sure that they can get a detailed reply, Members may send their oral questions to the
Co-Chairs by email two weeks before the JPSG meeting. The text submitted to the Co-Chairs as
an oral question addressed to Europol shall be explicitly marked as an ‘Oral Question’ to be
replied to in the framework of the next meeting. An email of confirmation of the receipt of a
request will be sent from the mailbox:
[email protected],
with a copy to
[email protected].
Step one – admissibility
The Co-Chairs decide whether or not the oral questions, submitted by JPSG members to notify
Europol beforehand on their content, meet the admissibility requirements.
The Member who submitted the oral question or Co-Chairs communicate the admissible
questions at the meeting.
Step two - Europol
In case Members have sent their oral questions to the Co-Chairs by email beforehand, the Co-
Chairs forward the questions to Europol via the JPSG LIBE Secretariat mailbox and request a
reply to the admissible oral questions at the meeting.
Step three – reply
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 REU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 45: Program og invitation til 15. møde i den parlamentariske følgegruppe vedr. Europol (JPSG)
Europol replies on the oral questions at the meeting. In case Europol requires more time to
reply, sending additional replies in writing within a six-week timeframe may be suggested.
Step four - follow up
In case the oral reply is deemed insufficient by the Member who presented the question, the
Member may ask Europol to consider the oral question as a written question and request a
written reply within a six-week timeframe.
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