A preliminary deal on the set-up of the European Parliament’s committees could be adjusted in September to make the current security and defence subcommittee a full-fledged committee, as the Socialists appear to have given up their resistance to this step, parliamentary sources told Euractiv, Caspian Energy Media reports.
The creation of a full-fledged defence committee would be another step towards the increase of the EU’s role in defence matters and a rare reorganisation of the structures where most of the Parliament’s policy work is taking place.
Despite months of speculation over the creation of a new defence 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 centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), liberals Renew Europe, and the centre-left Socialists (S&D), are now close to agreeing on setting up a defence committee in the autumn, as four sources told Euractiv and Table Media reported first.
The delay is set to ensure that committee competences mirror the Commission portfolios of the next mandate, which the future president is set to reveal in September at the earliest.
