Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Annex I (new) – Article 8 (new)
Article 8 Procedure in the event of possible breaches of the Code of Conduct 1. Where there is reason to think that a Member may have breached this Code of Conduct, the President may refer the matter to the Advisory Committee. 2. The Advisory Committee shall examine the circumstances of the alleged breach, and on the basis of the conclusions of its findings, make a recommendation to the President on a possible decision. 3. If, taking into account the advice of the Advisory Committee, the President concludes that the Member concerned has breached the Code of Conduct, he or she shall, after hearing the Member, adopt a reasoned decision laying down a penalty, which he or she shall notify to the Member. The penalty may consist of one or more of the measures listed in Article 153(3) of the Rules of Procedure. In the case of the withdrawal of a rapporteurship, the President shall submit this recommendation to the committee responsible. Such a proposal shall be approved by the committee responsible by a majority of two-thirds. 4. The internal appeal procedures defined in Rule 154 of the Rules of Procedure shall be open to the Member concerned. 5. Any penalty imposed on a Member after the expiry of the time-limits laid down in Rule 154 of the Rules of Procedure shall be announced by the President in plenary and published on Parliament's website for the remainder of the parliamentary term.