The holidays are also coming to an end for MEPs. They will get back to work from 2 September, by which time the first parliamentary committees will already have to meet. So far, 18 out of 22 committees have been set up, but all of them can already operate, since the only requirement is to have a president and a vice-president.
At this stage, the committees already established are those on development, international trade, budget, budgetary control, economic and financial affairs, employment, environment, industry, single market, transport, agriculture, regional development, fisheries, legal affairs, women's rights, petitions, human rights and defence. The others have not yet neem set up, due to a lack of gender balance or cordon sanitaire.
The Bureau of the Committee on Foreign Affairs has not yet been set up due to the lack of female candidates. A vote is expected on 2 or 3 September.
The office of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Civil Liberties and Culture is also not complete, this time because of the cordon sanitaire applied to Fidesz candidates. The Committee on Constitutional Affairs is due to elect 3 vice-presidents on 10 September, while on 4 September the Committee on Civil Liberties is due to elect the 3rd vice-president and the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport is due to elect its 4th vice-president.
It should be noted that, although the cordon sanitaire worked for the candidates of the Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS), it did not work for the Vox party, whose candidate Mazaly Aguilar (ECR, Spain) was appointed 3rd vice-president in the Committee on Agriculture (see EUROPE 12299/8, 12302/6). (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)