corapporteurs

Corapporteurs, also known as co-rapporteurs, are members of a legislative body who jointly draft and steer a report on a legislative proposal. In the European Parliament, corapporteurs are appointed by a committee to lead the preparation of the committee's report on a given dossier.

Definition: They are typically two Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who share responsibility for the report, including its justification, recitals, and proposed amendments. They coordinate with the committee's secretariat and with political groups to ensure representation and balance.

Appointment and duties: Corapporteurs are usually nominated by their political groups or by the committee. Their duties include analyzing the Commission proposal, consulting stakeholders, consolidating amendments, negotiating with other groups, and drafting the final report. They present the draft to the committee and shepherd it through the legislative process. If there are two co-rapporteurs, one may represent a different political group to ensure balance.

Process: The corapporteurs work with the committee's secretariat and hold meetings with MEPs, stakeholders, and negotiators from the Council. The final report is adopted by the committee and then put to the plenary session for debate and vote. In parallel, shadow rapporteurs may provide input from other groups to ensure broader input.

Significance: The corapporteurs play a central role in shaping legislation by balancing technical analysis with political consensus, and their work is often a prerequisite for advancing proposals through the European Parliament's ordinary legislative procedure.

See also: Rapporteur, Shadow rapporteur, European Parliament, Ordinary legislative procedure.