European Parliament Office at the Foreign Ministry

The European Parliament’s Office at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the following:

a) monitoring the European Parliament’s plenary sessions;

b) monitoring the proceedings of the EP Parliamentary Committees (the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, the International Trade Committee, etc.), with an emphasis on issues of particular Greek interest;

c) monitoring the proceedings of the Joint Parliamentary Committees (e.g., EU-Turkey JPC, EU-FYROM JPC, etc.) and Inter-parliamentary Delegations for relations with third countries (U.S., Russia, Southeast Europe, etc.);

d) monitoring the work of special EP Committees set up for particular issues with a limited timeframe, such as Temporary Committees (e.g., on climate change) and Temporary Committees of Inquiry;

e) monitoring oral and written questions to the Council of Ministers of the European Union and the European Commission;

f) briefing Greek MPs, in an oral or written form, in association with the Foreign Ministry’s competent departments and co-competent Ministries, agencies and organizations, on issues discussed at the EP Plenary session and before EP Committees, with an emphasis on issues of particular Greek interest;

g) briefing the Foreign Ministry’s central services, our country’s diplomatic missions abroad and other Ministries regarding issues discussed at the plenary session of the European Parliament, and

h) monitoring institutional issues within the framework of the European Parliament and, more particularly, issues relating to the European Parliament itself (strengthening its role and competencies within the framework of the new Treaty, composition and number of seats, MEP status, setting up European political groups, and European elections issues).