A preliminary deal on the set-up of the European Parliament’s committees could be adjusted in September to make the current security and defense subcommittee a full-fledged committee, as the Socialists appear to have given up their resistance to this step, parliamentary sources told Euractiv, Report informs.
The creation of a full-fledged defense committee would be another step towards the increase of the EU’s role in defense matters and a rare reorganization of the structures where most of the Parliament’s policy work is taking place.
Despite months of speculation over the creation of a new defense committee, this week’s parliamentary vote on the size of current committees and their chairs was not expected to yield any new committee structures.
However, the main political groups, including the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), liberals Renew Europe, and the center-left Socialists (S&D), are now close to agreeing on setting up a defense committee in the autumn.
The delay is set to ensure that committee competencies mirror the Commission portfolios of the next mandate, which the future president is set to reveal in September at the earliest.