STUDY Requested by the AFCO committee Committees of Inquiry in National Parliaments Comparative Survey Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs Directorate-General for Internal Policies PE 649.524 - March 2020 EN Committees of Inquiry in National Parliaments Comparative Survey Abstract This survey, provided by the Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the AFCO Committee, looks into the legal and administrative framework in which parliamentary committees of inquiry operate in the EU Member States. It focuses, in particular, in the investigative powers these committees have at hand to assist national parliaments in exercising parliamentary control. It also examines the role of Member States’ parliamentary committees of inquiry in guiding the action of the government, enhancing transparency and eradicating contraventions and maladministration. This document was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs. AUTHOR Eeva PAVY, Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, European Parliament. ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBLE Eeva PAVY EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Fabienne VAN DER ELST LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN ABOUT THE EDITOR Policy departments provide in-house and external expertise to support EP committees and other parliamentary bodies in shaping legislation and exercising democratic scrutiny over EU internal policies. To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe for updates, please write to: Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs European Parliament B-1047 Brussels Email:
[email protected] Manuscript completed in March 2020 © European Union, 2020 This document is available on the internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/supporting-analyses DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament.