Opinions are divided among Members of the European Parliament following a new speaking format tested during two key debates at the plenary session held from Monday 20 to Thursday 23 January in Strasbourg.
After an initial round of speeches on behalf of the European Parliament’s political groups, the MEPs – who had previously been designated speakers by their respective political families – were invited to take the floor in no particular order. The aim was to make plenary debates more attractive.
Shortly after an initial attempt on Tuesday morning, during a debate on the European regulation on digital services, the leader of the EPP, Manfred Weber, gave assurances that discussions had already begun to decide whether or not to make this formula permanent in the future. “Everyone in the EPP is furious”, a parliamentary source told Agence Europe the following day.
In the centre of the Chamber, some appreciated it while others were less enthusiastic about it. “I encouraged the President to continue”, said Sandro Gozi (Renew Europe, Italian), to the regret of some of his colleagues.
“This makes for a more lively debate, where MEPs can respond to what has been said rather than simply reading out their speeches for a video clip intended for use on social networks”, said one Green MEP.
In The Left group, Anthony Smith (French) welcomed the initiative of President Roberta Metsola. “The absenteeism of MEPs is a matter of record and detrimental to the image of our institution”, he argued.
The Presidency of the European Parliament said that the trials had yielded “encouraging” results.
“For the longer ‘DSA debate’, we saw an increased, high and stable presence resulting in a more lively debate. During the European Council conclusions debate, presence was stable compared to previous debates”, concluded a spokesperson on Thursday.
However, these preliminary analyses will have to be discussed and reassessed on Wednesday 5 February at a meeting of the leaders of the political groups. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)