Politicians: European Parliament

The new European Parliament elected in June for a five-year term has now organised its committees. The two which are likely to be of particular interest to lawyers are those on “Legal Affairs and the Internal Market (JURI)” and on “Citizens’ Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs”, but the latter is mainly concerned with criminal and police matters and human rights. That leaves only the Legal Affairs Committee (no.VI) for the business lawyer. Previously the two committees were organised differently and covered, on the one hand, Legal Affairs & Citizens’ Rights and, on the other, Civil Liberties & the Internal Market. Of course, some of the other committees will occasionally deal with business-related matters, but will do so from the more specialist angle of environment or labour law, etc.

The new officers of the 35-member Legal Committee are:

• Ana Palacio Vallelersundi (ES/EPP) as chair, with Willi Rothley (DE/Socialists),
• Rainer Wieland (DE/EPP) and Eduard Bevsen (BE/ELDR) as deputy chairs.

The British members are:

• Malcolm Harbour (EPP),
• Lord Inglewood (EPP),
• Neil McCormick (Greens),
• Bill Miller (Socialists),
• Claude Moraes (Socialists) and
• Diana Wallis (ELDR).