Editing European Parliament (section)

===Control of the executive===
The [[President of the European Commission]] is proposed by the European Council on the basis of the European elections to Parliament.<ref name="Constitution info">{{cite web|title=The Union's institutions: The European Parliament|publisher=European Parliament|url=http://europa.eu/scadplus/constitution/parliament_en.htm|access-date=28 June 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201174755/http://europa.eu/scadplus/constitution/parliament_en.htm|archive-date=1 February 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> That proposal has to be approved by the Parliament (by a majority of members of the Parliament) who thereby "elect" the President according to the treaties. Following the approval of the Commission President, the members of the Commission are proposed by the President in accord with the member states. Each Commissioner comes before a relevant parliamentary committee hearing covering the proposed portfolio. They are then, as a body, approved or rejected by the Parliament.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|title=Background Information: Election of the European Commission|publisher=European Parliament|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+PRESS+BI-20041022-1+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN|access-date=1 July 2007 }}</ref><ref name="Commission Oversight">{{cite web|title=Oversight over the Commission and Council|publisher=European Parliament|url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/public/staticDisplay.do?id=46&pageRank=9&language=EN|access-date=12 June 2007 }}</ref>

In practice, the Parliament has never voted against a President or his Commission, but the threat to do so has produced concessions to Parliament on the Commission's composition or on policy commitments. As described above, when the Barroso Commission was put forward, the Parliament forced the proposal to be withdrawn and changed to be more acceptable to Parliament.<ref name="IHT Butt">{{cite web|last=Bowley|first=Graham|title=Buttiglione affair highlights evolving role of Parliament : Questions arise on democracy at the EU|work=International Herald Tribune|date=18 October 2004|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/18/brussels_ed3_.php|access-date=1 July 2007|archive-date=10 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210125124/http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/18/brussels_ed3_.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> That pressure was seen as an important sign by some of the evolving nature of the Parliament and its ability to make the Commission accountable, rather than being a rubber stamp for candidates. Furthermore, in voting on the Commission, MEPs also vote along party lines, rather than national lines, despite frequent pressure from national governments on their MEPs. This cohesion and willingness to use the Parliament's power ensured greater attention from national leaders, other institutions and the public{{snd}} reversing the previous decline in turnout for the Parliament's elections.<ref>{{cite web |last=Murray |first=Alasdair |title=Three cheers for EU democracy |publisher=[[Open Europe]] |year=2004 |url=http://www.cer.org.uk/articles/39_murray.html |access-date=7 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070610003606/http://www.cer.org.uk/articles/39_murray.html |archive-date=10 June 2007 |url-status=dead|df=dmy }}</ref>

The Parliament also has the power to censure the Commission by a two-thirds majority which will force the resignation of the entire Commission from office. As with approval, this power has never been explicitly used, but when faced with such a vote, the [[Santer Commission]] then [[Santer Commission#Resignation|resigned of their own accord]].

There are other control instruments, such as: the requirement of Commission to submit reports to the Parliament and answer written and oral questions from MEPs; the requirement of the President-in-office of the Council to present its programme at the start of their [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|presidency]]; the obligation on the President of the [[European Council]] to report to Parliament after each of its meetings; the right of MEPs to make requests for legislation and policy to the Commission; and the right to question members of those institutions (e.g. "Commission [[Question Time]]" every Tuesday).<ref name="Commission Appointment"/><ref name="Commission Oversight"/> Regarding written and oral questions, MEPs voted in July 2008 to limit questions to those within the EU's mandate and ban offensive or personal questions.<ref name="EUO rise">{{cite web|last=Mahony|first=Honor|title=New rules to make it harder for MEPs to form political groups|url=http://euobserver.com/9/26468|date=9 July 2008|work=International Herald Tribune |access-date=10 July 2008}}</ref>