The European scrutiny system in the House of Commons is intended to ensure that you have opportunities to influence UK ministers on UK/EU proposals within the scope of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade Cooperation Agreement (TCA).
The European Scrutiny Committee examines all EU documents submitted to Parliament by the Government. At the end of the post-Brexit transition period, the Government agreed to submit documents relating to:
- the Windsor Framework (formerly the Northern Ireland Protocol) (including proposals for EU legislation that would potentially take effect in Northern Ireland:
- the Withdrawal Agreement (including EU Council Decisions establishing the EU’s position in the ‘Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee’); and
- binding decisions of the TCA ‘Partnership Council’ and ‘Specialised Committees’.
The Committee considers the document’s political and legal importance and the availability of information relating to it. It can refer documents for debate in a European Committee or in the Chamber. The last time a debate was held in a European Committee was before the UK's EU exit. Information about EU documents and any debates is listed on the European Business page on Parliament’s website and available from the Vote Office.
There are a number of other opportunities in the House for you to scrutinise European policy:
- oral questions and oral statements
- debates on bills relating to the EU
- general debates on the EU
- departmental select committees: the European Scrutiny Committee has the power to require a select committee to provide an opinion on a particular document; there are also informal links and departmental committees can conduct EU-related inquiries
- the UK National Parliament Office: this can assist you with European matters, particularly if you’re visiting European institutions in a representative capacity