The members of the committees were chosen by the political groups. Each group being allocated a number of seats in proportion to the number of MEPs the group has.
The chairs and vice-chairs of each committee will be decided at the committee’s constitutive meetings in September. Each special committee is composed of 33 members, whereas the subcommittee and committee of inquiry have 30 members each.
According to Parliament’s rules of procedures, the term of office of a special committee may not exceed 12 months. A committee of inquiry’s term of office is also a year and can be extended twice by three-month periods. The term of office of a subcommittee is open-ended.
A parliament spokesman said, “Special committees, committees of inquiry and subcommittees cannot adopt legislative texts. A committee of inquiry investigates alleged breaches or maladministration in the implementation of EU law.”
The special committee on beating cancer is specifically tasked with evaluating opportunities for the EU to take “concrete action, identifying legislation and other measures that can help prevent and fight cancer, and looking into the best ways to support research.”
Dr Matti Aapro, president of the European Cancer Organisation, told this website: “The establishment of a European Parliament Special Committee on Beating Cancer is wonderful news. It represents an important step in the long-term dedication of many members of the Parliament to the fight against cancer.”
"[The committee of inquiry on alleged contraventions and maladministration in animal transport] will carry out a thorough investigation to uncover how it is possible that time again transportation is licensed under illegal circumstances" GUE/NGL MEP Anja Hazekamp
“We applaud that the representatives of Europe’s citizens are taking this once-in-a-generation opportunity to elevate and accelerate EU cancer policy.”
The special committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the EU, including disinformation is, among others, tasked with “thoroughly analysing the investigations that showed that crucial electoral rules were breached or circumvented,” said a parliament spokesman.
He added, “It will have to identify possible areas that would require legislative and non-legislative actions regarding social media platforms, to suggest coordinated action at EU level for tackling hybrid threats and to counter information campaigns and strategic communication of malign third countries that harm the EU.”
The special committee on artificial intelligence will study the impact and challenges of rolling out AI, and propose a roadmap with objectives for the EU in the field of AI and the steps that need to be taken to achieve them.
The committee of inquiry on alleged contraventions and maladministration in animal transport will primarily investigate the alleged failure of the Commission and of member states to effectively enforce numerous EU rules related to animal transport within the EU and beyond its borders.
GUE/NGL MEP Anja Hazekamp, a long time animal rights campaigner, told The Parliament Magazine, “This inquiry committee will carry out a thorough investigation to uncover how it is possible that time again transportation is licensed under illegal circumstances."
"We want to force EU member states to comply with the rules and no longer permit animal transport during extreme weather conditions or for weeks on end to countries outside of the Union.”
The breakdown of each new committee is available here.