Rule 137 : Question Time

1.   Question Time with Commissioners may be held at each part-session for a duration of up to about 90 minutes on one or more themes to be decided upon by the Conference of Presidents in advance, and at the latest on the Thursday before the relevant part-session.

2.   The Commissioners invited to participate by the Conference of Presidents shall have a portfolio related to the theme or themes on which questions are to be put to them. The number of Commissioners to be invited shall be limited to two per part-session. However, it shall be possible to invite a third Commissioner, depending on the theme or themes chosen for the Question Time.

3.   Question Time may also be held, under the terms laid down in paragraph 1, with the President of the European Council, with the Presidency of the Council, with the President of the Commission, with the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and with the President of the Eurogroup.

4.   Question time shall not be specifically allocated in advance. The President shall, as far as possible, ensure that Members that hold different political views and that come from different Member States are given the opportunity to put a question in turn.

5.   The Member shall be given one minute in which to formulate the question and the person being questioned two minutes in which to reply. That Member may put a supplementary question, lasting no longer than 30 seconds and having a direct bearing on the main question. The person being questioned shall then be given two minutes in which to give a supplementary reply.

6.   Questions and supplementary questions must be directly related to the theme decided under paragraph 1. The President may rule on their admissibility.