The committees in the European Parliament are permanent, temporary, investigation (inquiry) and subcommittees. The subcommittees, investigation and temporary committees are established in connection with the consideration of specific issues.

The permanent committees in the EP are 20. They prepare the work of the MEPs in plenary sessions in specific sectors - foreign affairs, development, international trade, budgets and others. The political spectrum of each committee represents the political membership in the EP.

Parliamentary committees sit once or twice a month in Brussels and the debate is public. Records of the sessions are accessible to the public. In the parliamentary committees the MEPs draw up, make changes and vote on legislative propositions and reports on their own initiative. They consider the proposals of the European Commission and European Council and, if necessary, draw up reports which are presented at the plenary sessions.

Permanent committees consider and propose changes in the motions for Community directives and regulations drawn up by the European Commission and presented also to the Council. Permanent committees also deliver official opinions addressed to the other parliamentary committees. Each of the committees elects its own chairman and four deputy chairmen with a mandate of two and a half years and has a secretariat.