Published on
11/06/2026 - 10:31 GMT+2
The European Parliament is set to test new rules in its upcoming June plenary session to avoid empty seats during debates and improve engagement between lawmakers and EU Commissioners.
The decision was taken on Wednesday by the chairs of the Parliament's political groups. President Roberta Metsola asked them last year to come up with proposals to make Parliament's debates shorter and more meaningful.
The next session will see a clear start and end time for each debate. Under the current rules, debates often drag on beyond schedule, sometimes delaying an entire day's programme. The upshot is that long discussions stretch into the late evening with very few MEPs present – often only the ones with allotted speaking time.
