In the European Parliament all MEPs have ‘extra-job’ to do, as they are responsible for one or more parliamentary committees of which they are members, plus one or more committees where they work as substitute members whenever needed. In the EU body, in fact, there are ‘official’ members of the European Parliament, and there are European politicians replacing the ‘official’ members when the latter cannot take part to their parliamentary committee’s activity. It means some attributions and some powers, including the one of voting.
Substitute members are MEPs already assigned to parliamentary committees, in charge for the dossier of competence of the specific body. Nevertheless they can work on other files any time people from the same political group are in the condition of working. Every MEP can be member of one or two committees. At the same time, he is added to one or more further committees. It means that everybody is at the same time ‘full member’ and ‘substitute’ of somebody else.
The figure of the substitute member is foreseen by the internal rules of the directly elected European institution. The idea behind this rule is to allow the European institution be always functioning. That’s why beside the full-time members are the ‘extra-members’, the substitute MEPs.
Once the European elections have been held, the European Parliament first elects its new president and the 14 vice-presidents, then it forms the committees. The first list is thus the committee members. A second list is then added, specifying those responsible to guarantee the presence of every political group in case somebody cannot attend the working session.
According to Parliament’s Procedure, rule 209, the political groups and the non-attached Members may appoint a number of substitutes for each committee which shall not exceed the number of full members that the political group or the non-attached Members are entitled to appoint in the committee. The President shall be informed accordingly. These substitutes shall be entitled to attend and to speak at committee meetings and, “if the full member is absent, to take part in the vote”.
Political groups always decide in advance who will be substitute member, in order not to waste time when a MEP is in the situation of not attending. There is also the possibility that in the absence of the full member and where substitutes either have not been appointed or are absent, the full member “may arrange to be represented at meetings by another member of the same political group, or, where the member is a non-attached member, by another non-attached member, who shall be entitled to vote”.
It may sound complicated, but it is less than it can appear. This blog already provided the guide with all the 73 Italian MEPs assigned to all the parliamentary committees. The same MEPs can sometimes working in other committees as ‘substitutes’.
Here the entire list, committee by committee, of all the 73 Italian MEPs in their “extra” activity of substitute members as distributed by the groups:
Committee on
Foreign Affairs (AFET):
Andrea Cozzolino (PD / S&D)
Pierfrancesco Majorino (PD / S&D)
Marco Zanni (the League / ID)
Raffaele Fitto (FdI / ECR)
Committee on
Development (DEVE):
Patrizia Toia (PD / S&D)
Alessandra Basso (the League / ID)
Valentino Grant (the League / ID)
Ignazio Corrao (M5S / NI)
Committee on
International Trade (INTA):
Marco Campomenosi (the League / ID)
Dino Giarrusso (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Budgets (BUDG):
Herbert Dorfmann (SVP-FI / EPP)
Matteo Adinolfi (the League / ID)
Annalisa Tardino (the League / ID)
Marco Zanni (the League / ID)
Tizian Beghin (M5S / NI)
Mario Furore (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Budgetary Control (CONT):
Antonio Maria Rinaldi (the League / ID)
Lucia Vuolo (the League / ID)
Committee on
Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON):
Fulvio Martusciello (FI / EPP)
Antonio Tajani (FI / EPP)
Irene Tinagli (PD / S&D)
Francesca Donato (the League / ID)
Gianna Gancia (the League / ID)
Fabio Massimo Castaldo (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL):
Brando Benifei (PD / S&D)
Pierfrancesco Majorino (PD / S&D)
Simona Baldassarre (the League / ID)
Mara Bizzotto (the League / ID)
Andrea Caroppo (the League / ID)
Committee on the
Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI):
Aldo Patriciello (FI / EPP)
Carlo Calenda (PD / S&D)
Gianantonio Da Re (the League / ID)
Oscar Lancini (the League / ID)
Luisa Regimenti (the League / ID)
Lucia Vuolo (the League / ID)
Pier Nicola Pedicini (M5S / NI)
Daniela Rondinelli (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE):
Massimiliano Salini (FI / EPP)
Antonio Tajani (FI / EPP)
Simona Bonafè (PD / S&D)
Matteo Adinolfi (the League / ID)
Marco Dreosto (the League / ID)
Gianna Gancia (the League / ID)
Elena Lizzi (the League / ID)
Pietro Fiocchi (FdI / ECR)
Eleonora Evi (M5S / NI)
Committee on the
Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO):
Angelo Ciocca (the League / ID)
Silvia Sardone (the League / ID)
Tizian Beghin (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Transport and Tourism (TRAN):
Alessandra Moretti (PD / S&D)
Paolo Borchia (the League / ID)
Carlo Fidanza (FdI / ECR)
Laura Ferrara (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Regional Development (REGI):
Herbert Dorfmann (SVP-FI / EPP)
Elisabetta Gualmini (PD / S&D)
Rosanna Conte (the League / ID)
Stefania Zambelli (the League / ID)
Chiara Gemma (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI):
Giuseppe Milazzo (FI / EPP)
Giuseppe Ferrandino (PD / S&D)
Massimiliano Smeriglio (PD / S&D)
Marco Casanova (the League / ID)
Francesca Donato (the League / ID)
Nicola Procaccini (FdI / ECR)
Daniela Rondinelli (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Fisheries (PECH):
Giuseppe Milazzo (FI / EPP)
Valentino Grant (the League / ID)
Annalisa Tardino (the League / ID)
Raffaele Stancanelli (FdI / ECR)
Committee on
Culture and Education (CULT):
Pina Picierno (PD / S&D)
Simona Baldassarre (the League / ID)
Alessandro Panza (the League / ID)
Chiara Gemma (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Legal Affairs (JURI):
Caterina Chinnici (PD / S&D)
Roberto Gualtieri (PD / S&D)
Andrea Caroppo (the League / ID)
Committee on
Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE):
Mara Bizzotto (the League / ID)
Sabrina Pignedoli (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Constitutional Affairs (AFCO):
Brando Benifei (PD / S&D)
Roberto Gualtieri (PD / S&D)
Committee on
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM):
Alessandra Moretti (PD / S&D)
Simona Baldassarre (the League / ID)
Isabella Adinolfi (M5S / NI)
Committee on
Petitions (PETI):
Pina Picierno (PD / S&D)
Mara Bizzotto (the League / ID)
Stefania Zambelli (the League / ID)
Subcommittee on
Human Rights (DROI):
Silvia Sardone (the League / ID)
Subcommittee on
Security and Defence (SEDE):
Pierfrancesco Majorino (PD / S&D)
Cinzia Bonfrisco (the League / ID)
