Research Service Y Gwasanaeth Ymchwil

 Brussels, the second home of the , where most of the Committee meetings take place, together with a number of Welsh Members of the “mini-plenary” sessions held during the year European Parliament  , which for all four Welsh MEPs constitutes their constituency. As well as being members of one of the seven political groups in the European Parliament, each of the Welsh Updated: May 2011 MEPs sits on one or more of the 20 permanent Committees, which undertake the day to day legislative and policy scrutiny work of the European Introduction: Parliament. They may also be selected by their political groups to sit on the special or “temporary” The European Parliament1 is the only directly-elected Committees that are established in response to issues body of the European Union (EU). Its 736 members of particular political significance for the EU, e.g. the (MEPs) are elected once every five years by voters financial crisis or to prepare for the discussions on the across the 27 Member States of the EU. future multi-annual EU budget. The most recent elections took place in June 2009, and Finally, the Welsh MEPs may engage in various formal the current MEPs will serve a term of office until May 2014. and informal working groups in the European The UK has a total of 72 MEPs (the same number as Parliament, and external representative work. France and Italy). Four of these are elected to represent The following section gives a brief resume of the Wales, and the current Welsh MEPs are: Committees, working groups and other external  John Bufton, UK Independence Party and Europe activities that the four Welsh MEPs are involved in. of freedom and democracy Group  Jill Evans, and Greens/European Free Welsh MEPs: Committees and other Alliance Group work2

 Dr Kay Swinburne MEP, Welsh Conservatives and European Conservatives and Reformists Group John Bufton, UK Independence Party and  Derek Vaughan MEP, and Group for Europe of freedom and democracy Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats Committees: The work of the Welsh MEPs is primarily split across  Regional Development Committee (member) three locations:  Agriculture and Rural Development Committee  Strasbourg, the official home of the European (substitute) Parliament. 12 sittings of the EP are held in

Strasbourg each year, which equates to around one week of business per month..

2See European Parliament web-site. See also Welsh MEP web- sites: John Bufton, Jill Evans, Dr Kay Swinburne and Derek 1 For a more detailed overview see European Parliament web-site Vaughan

M a y 2011 Research Service | 1 Research Service Y Gwasanaeth Ymchwil

Jill Evans, Plaid Cymru and (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee (substitute) Greens/  Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Committees: Legislative Council (substitute)

 Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Reports and opinions: Committee (member)  Report on regulation of trading in financial  Agriculture and Rural Development Committee instruments. Report adopted on 10 November (substitute) 2010. Click here for details.  Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality Derek Vaughan MEP, Welsh Labour and Delegations: Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats  Delegation for relations with the Palestinian Committees: Legislative Council  Budget Committee (member)  Delegation for relations with Iraq (member)  Budgetary Control Committee (substitute) Reports and opinions:  Special committee on the policy challenges and  Revision of the EU Directive on the Restriction of budgetary resources for a sustainable European Hazardous Substances. Report adopted June 2010. Union after 2013 (SURE Committee) (substitute) Click here for details. Delegations: Other:  Delegation for relations with the People’s Republic  Vice-Chair of the Greens/European Free Alliance of China (member)  President of the European Free Alliance  Delegation for relations with Japan (substitute)

Reports and opinions: Dr Kay Swinburne MEP, Welsh Opinion on the European Commission’s 5th Cohesion Conservatives and European Report and the Strategy for the post-2013 Cohesion Conservatives and Reformists Policy. Opinion adopted on 12 April 2011. Click here Committees: for details.

 Economic and Monetary Affairs (member and Group Co-ordinator) Further information  Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis (member) For further information on the Welsh MEPs or any other EU related matter please contact Delegations: Gregg Jones ([email protected])  Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the National Assembly for Wales EU Office Union for the Mediterranean (member) Wales House th  Delegation for relations with Switzerland and 6 floor, 11 Rond Point Schuman Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Brussels B-1040 Belgium Committee and the European Economic Area

2 | Research Service