Statutes of the Greens/EFA Group
CHAPTER I
CONSTITUTION OF THE GROUP
1.1 The Parliamentary Group was constituted on 19 July 1989, under the name ‘The Green Group in the European Parliament’, in accordance with the provisions of its Rules of Procedure and the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament. The declaration of
constitution was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities C 256/39 of 9 October 1989.
1.2 The name of the Group was changed with effect from 19 July 1999 (Official Journal of the European Communities C 301/1999). The Parliamentary Group has since been known as:
‘Les Verts/Alliance Libre Européenne’ in French
‘De Groenen/Vrije Europese Alliantie’ in Dutch
‘The Greens/European Free Alliance’ in English
‘Die Grünen/Europäische Freie Allianz’ in German
‘I Verdi/Alleanza libera europea’ in Italian
‘Los Verdes/Alianza Libre Europea’ in Spanish
'De Gröna/Europeiska fria alliansen' in Swedish
‘Vihreät/Euroopan vapaa allianssi’ in Finnish
'De Grønne/Den Europǽiske Fri Alliance in Danish
‘Berdeak/Europako Aliantza Librea’ in Basque
‘Y Gwyrddion/Cynghrair Rhydd Ewrop’ in Welsh
‘Els Verds/Aliança Lliure Europea’ in Catalan
‘Na h-Uainich/Saor Caidreabhas Eorpach’ in Scots Gaelic
‘Zaļie/Eiropas Brīvā apvienība’ in Latvian
‘Los Verds/Aliança Liura Europèa’ in Occitan
‘Zeleni / Europska swobodna alianca’ in Sorbian
‘Ar Re C'hlas/Emglev Libr Europa’ in Breton
Upon a formal request from one or more members of the Group, this name may be supplemented with the translations of the Group’s name into other languages spoken in their constituencies.
1.3 The Group shall be governed by these Statutes and by all the texts the Group decides by an absolute majority of the members of the Group to annex to them. These statutory annexes include, in particular, the Memorandum of Understanding between the
Green Members of the European Parliament and the European Free Alliance Members of the European Parliament, adopted on 8 July 1999, and which constitutes the general framework of the relations between these two parts, and any similar agreements
concluded between the Group and other Members of the European Parliament that join the Group.
CHAPTER II
MEMBERSHIP OF THE GROUP
2.1 The Group shall consist of representatives elected to the European Parliament on the lists supported by the European Green Party and representatives elected to the European Parliament on the lists supported by the European Free Alliance Party within
the framework laid down in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between these two bodies and annexed to these Statutes. Both components can accept new members in their midst. These admissions require a consensus. If a consensus is not reached, the 'Monitoring and Conciliation Committee' foreseen in the Protocol of understanding between Members of the Green Group in the European Parliament & Members of the EFA shall decide.
2.2 Other Members of the European Parliament may become members of the Group if the Group agrees by consensus, following consultation of the national parties concerned, and after these Members have declared their full support for the fundamental
values laid down in the Charter of the European Greens. If consensus is not reached, the Group shall vote on the requests for admission, in which case an absolute majority of members of the Group shall be required for admission to be approved. Any protocols laying down the specific procedures for such admissions shall be annexed to these Statutes.
2.3 Membership of the Group shall end on death, resignation, termination of membership of the European Parliament during or at the end of a member’s mandate, or exclusion following a decision taken by two-thirds of Group members. Exclusions shall
only be possible on the basis of a written request, stating full reasons and signed by at least 10% of Group members, and must be approved by a Plenary Assembly to which all Group members have been invited, in particular the person concerned so that he/she
may exercise his/her right of defence.
2.4 At the Group’s inaugural meeting at the beginning of each new term in the European Parliament, the Chairperson shall be the oldest member present until the Group elects a new Chairperson.
CHAPTER III
GROUP BODIES: MEMBERSHIP AND POWERS
3.1 The bodies of the Group are:
- The Plenary Assembly;
- The Bureau;
- The Coordinators.
3.2 The Group’s Rules of Procedure, annexed to these Statutes, set out the specific tasks and details of these organs’ operation, in particular the voting procedures for the election of the Bureau and the appointment of Group members to the available posts in
the European Parliament. The Group’s Financial Regulation, annexed to these Statutes, lays down the financial responsibilities of these organs and the Group’s budgetary procedures.
The Plenary Assembly
3.3 The Plenary Assembly shall consist of all members of the Group. It shall be the
Group’s supreme decision-making body.
3.4 The Plenary Assembly is in particular competent to:
- Discuss and take decisions on all political matters dealt with inside or outside the European Parliament;
- Elect the Co-Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of the Group;
- Appoint members of the Group to fill any vacancies set aside for the Group on parliamentary committees and subcommittees, interparliamentary delegations and joint assemblies, and the European Parliament’s various temporary and permanent bodies;
- Introduce thematic working groups, whose members can sit on different parliamentary committees;
- Vote on the admission or exclusion of Group members, in accordance with the procedures described in Chapter II of these Statutes;
- Establish the Group’s annual budget and a list of political priorities for the allocation of the budget lines for the Group’s political activities, approve the statement of accounts and grant discharge in respect of the implementation of the last annual budget;
- Take decisions concerning the approval and amendment of these Statutes, the Group’s Rules of Procedure and the Financial Regulation, and any other annexes to these Statutes;
- Appoint the Group’s Secretary-General and his/her Deputy Secretary-General(s).
3.5 The Plenary Assembly may deliberate and fix the agenda whatever the number of members present. For votes the quorum shall be met when the majority of members are present or represented. Except where otherwise provided for in the Rules of Procedure,
a simple majority shall be required for the decisions of the Plenary Assembly. Decisions shall be valid irrespective of the number of voters, provided that the Chairperson has not been asked before the vote begins to establish the numbers present or represented. In
the absence of a quorum, the vote shall be postponed and be placed on the agenda of the next meeting.
3.6 At the request of at least one third of the members of the Group, the Bureau shall convene an extraordinary Plenary Assembly as soon as possible and no later than four weeks after the request has been submitted (this deadline only takes into account the
European Parliament’s working weeks in Brussels or Strasbourg), on the basis of an agenda proposed by the signatories to the request. Members of the Group shall be informed at least one week in advance that an extraordinary Plenary Assembly is being
held.
3.7 The Group’s team of salaried staff, members’ assistants and representatives of the European Green Party, the Federation of Young European Greens and the European Free Alliance Party shall be invited to attend the Plenary Assembly. In specific cases,
and following a decision by the Group, Plenary Assemblies may be held in camera.
The Bureau
3.8 The Bureau shall consist of two Co-Chairpersons and a maximum of seven Vice-Chairpersons. The voting procedures for their appointment shall be set out in the Rules of Procedure.
3.9 As regards the Bureau’s composition, at least half of the Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons posts shall be held by women.
3.10 Members of the Bureau shall be elected for a period of two and a half years.
3.11 At least one of the Vice-Chairpersons shall be appointed by the European Free Alliance Members of the European Parliament and be given the post of First Vice-Chairperson of the Group, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding laying down the relations between the Greens and the European Free Alliance and annexed to these Statutes. When the Bureau is being re-elected, the number of European Free Alliance members of the Bureau may change – without being less than one – to better reflect the political balance in the Group.
3.12 The Plenary Assembly shall directly appoint the Vice-Chairperson responsible for the Group’s budget in the post of Treasurer.
3.13 In addition to the tasks laid down in these Statutes, the Bureau shall entrust each of its members with responsibility for one or more specific areas. One of the Group’s Co-Presidents shall be appointed by the Bureau as the authority authorised to conclude
contracts for the Group. This post may subsequently be delegated to one of the Vice-Chairpersons.
3.14 The Bureau shall be responsible for representing the Group externally and preparing for the Plenary Assemblies. It shall ensure that the Group functions properly, in particular by supervising the work of the Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-
General(s), and ensuring correct implementation of the decisions of the Plenary Assembly. The Bureau shall take the necessary measures to achieve this, in accordance with these Statutes and the mandates given to it by the Plenary Assembly.
3.15 The Co-Chairpersons shall be responsible for pursuing the Group’s activities and representing it in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Statutes and in the Rules of Procedure. The Co-Chairpersons shall also be responsible for coordinating, on behalf of the Group, the Group’s communications with third parties, in particular through press contacts.
3.16 The Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary-General(s), the Group’s press attaché, the person responsible for drawing up the minutes and a representative of the salaried staff shall attend Bureau meetings, but shall not have any voting rights. The
Secretary-General of the European Green Party or his/her representative shall always be invited to Bureau meetings. The Bureau may invite any other person to attend its meetings. In specific cases, and following a decision by the Bureau, Bureau meetings
may be held in camera.
3.17 The Bureau shall meet at least twice a year with all the Group coordinators to prepare annually the Group’s political balance and perspectives. A joint meeting between the Bureau and the Committee of the European Green Party shall also be held
at least twice a year.
3.18 Bureau decisions that are disputed formally by at least one third of the members of the Group shall be submitted to the next Plenary Assembly. The Plenary Assembly shall then decide by a majority whether to debate and vote on the disputed points.
The Coordinators
3.19 The full and substitute members of each parliamentary committee shall appoint a coordinator from among their number for a period of two and a half years. The coordinators shall be responsible for organising the work of the Member(s) concerned
and offering political guidance to the Group on all questions dealt with by the parliamentary committee for which they are responsible. The coordinators shall report at least twice a year to the Group in the Plenary Assembly on the most important issues in their area of competence.
3.20 The coordinators may meet at their own convenience, depending on the restrictions imposed in terms of the meeting facilities provided to the Group by the European Parliament.
3.21 At least twice a year, and following an invitation by the Bureau, the coordinators shall hold joint meetings with the Bureau to discuss the general political situation and the parliamentary strategies to be implemented to deal with that situation.
3.22 The possibility of members to form delegations is defined in the rules of procedure.
CHAPTER IV
THE OMBUDSPERSON
4.1 On a proposal by the Bureau, the Plenary Assembly shall appoint anOmbudsperson from within the Group.
4.2 The Ombudsperson’s role shall be to find ways of resolving, rapidly and fairly, disputes between the various constituents of the Group and/or between members themselves. He/she shall also intervene in disputes between Members and salaried staff
or disputes between salaried staff.
4.3 All parties to a dispute may request the intervention of the Ombudsperson and their representative. His/her role and the mediation and conflict resolution procedure resulting thereof is laid down in the "Code of Conduct for the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament adopted on January 16th, 2001" (annexed).
CHAPTER V
GROUP SECRETARIAT
5.1 The Group Secretariat shall consist of all the salaried staff, in all categories, may they be employed on posts made available to the Group by the European Parliament or may they be on posts paid for from the Group’s budget.
5.2 The Secretariat shall be responsible for all the administrative, technical and political services required to enable the Group to function properly.
5.3 The Secretariat shall be under the supervision of the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General(s), which shall in turn be supervised by the Bureau. The Secretariat shall ensure that all Group members are treated in an equal and friendly manner.
5.4 The Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General(s) shall be elected by the Group pursuant to the provisions of the Rules of Procedure. At least one of the Deputy Secretary-Generals shall be appointed by members of the Group belonging to the
European Free Alliance.
CHAPTER VI
PREPARATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GROUP BUDGET
6.1 Before the beginning of a new financial year, the Treasurer shall, with the assistance of the Secretary-General or his/her Deputy responsible for the Group’s finances, submit a draft budget to the Bureau, which, having adopted it, shall forward it to the Plenary Assembly for amendment and/or approval. The Group’s budget shall be accompanied by a list of the Group’s political priorities indicating the financial resources allocated to each priority.
6.2 In accordance with the rules in force in the European Parliament, the Co-Chairpersons and/or the authorised delegate appointed by them shall be empowered to commit expenditure on behalf of the Group within the limits of the budget approved by the Plenary Assembly and the Group’s Internal Financial Rules. In accordance with the Group’s Financial Rules annexed to these Statutes, the Co-Chairpersons shall remain responsible for the implementation of the annual budget.
CHAPTER VII
FINAL PROVISIONS
7.1 Organisation of work and deliberations within the Group
The general functioning of the Group, in particular the organisation of its work and deliberations, is described in the Rules of Procedure annexed to these Statutes.
7.2 Parliamentary assistants
The parliamentary assistants of the Group members play an active role in the work of the Group. In order to maintain cordial and productive social relations, a Code of Conduct, annexed to these Statutes, lays down the rights and duties of assistants and the
Members who employ them. This article shall enter into force when the Code is adopted by the Group’s Plenary Assembly.
7.3 Amendment to the Statutes
Proposals to amend these Statutes must be adopted in the Plenary Assembly by a twothirds majority. The quorum for this amendment shall exist when at least half of the Group’s members are present in person. This Plenary Assembly must be convened no later than two weeks after the formal submission of the proposal for amendment (this deadline only takes into account the European Parliament’s working weeks in Brussels or Strasbourg).
7.4 Statutory annexes
These Statutes shall be supplemented by binding regulatory texts that the Group decides to annex to them following a decision by an absolute majority of Group members. The annexed statutory texts drawn up by the Group may be amended by an
absolute majority of members at a Plenary Assembly.
7.5 List of annexes
a) Charter of the European Greens adopted on 13-14 October 2006 at the Geneva Congress;
b) Rules of Procedures adopted on 8 November 2006;
c) Internal Financial Rules adopted on 28 September 2005;
d) Memorandum of Understanding between the Green Members of the European Parliament and the European Free Alliance Members of the European Parliament adopted on 8 July 1999;
e) Agreement between the Greens/European Free Alliance and the SF Party of the Nordic Green Left signed on 1 July 2004;
f) Code of Conduct for the Greens/Efa Group in the European Parliament adopted on 16 January 2001.
7.6 Entry into force
This version of the Group’s Statutes repeals and replaces those of 26 April 1994 with effect of the day following their adoption.
