Title XIII a (new) – rule 237 c (new)
Rule 237c Remote participation regime 1. Where the President decides under Rule 237a(2), to apply the remote participation regime by adopting a measure under Rule 237a(3), point (d), Parliament may conduct its proceedings remotely inter alia by permitting all Members to exercise their parliamentary rights by electronic means. Where the President decides in accordance with Rule 237b that selected technical means under the remote participation regime are to be used, this Rule shall apply only to the necessary extent and only to the Members concerned. 2. The remote participation regime shall ensure that the European Parliament retains its ability to work under all circumstances and, in particular, that : – Members are able to exercise their parliamentary mandate, including, in particular, their right to speak in plenary and in the committees, to vote and to table texts, without impairment, to guarantee parliamentary scrutiny and the further development of European policies, e.g. right of initiative; – all votes are cast by Members individually and in person; – the remote voting system enables Members to cast ordinary votes, roll call votes and secret ballots; – a uniform voting system is applied for all Members, whether present or not on Parliament’s premises; – translation and interpretation services are provided to the greatest possible extent, in accordance with Rule 167; – the information technology solutions made available to Members and their staff are ‘technology neutral’; – participation of Members in parliamentary debates and votes takes place using secure electronic means that are managed and supervised by Parliament’s services. 3. When taking the decision referred to in paragraph 1, the President shall determine whether that regime applies to the exercise of Members’ rights in plenary only, or also to the exercise of Members’ rights in Parliament’s committees and/or other bodies. The President shall also determine in his or her decision how rights and practices which cannot be exercised appropriately without the Members’ physical presence are adapted for the duration of the regime. These rights and practices concern, inter alia: – the manner in which attendance at a sitting or meeting is counted; – the conditions under which a request for a check of the quorum is made, – the tabling of texts; – the allocation of speaking time; – the scheduling of debates; – the presentation of, and the objection to, oral amendments; – the order of votes; – the deadlines and time limits for the setting of the agenda and for procedural motions. 4. For the purposes of the application of the provisions of the Rules relating to quorum and voting in the Chamber, Members who are participating remotely shall be deemed to be physically present in the Chamber. By way of derogation from Rule 171(11), Members who have not spoken in a debate may, once per sitting, hand in a written statement, which shall be appended to the verbatim report of the debate. The President shall, where necessary, determine the manner in which the Chamber may be used by Members during the application of the remote participation regime, and in particular the maximum number of Members who can be physically present. 5. Where the President decides in accordance with paragraph 3, first subparagraph, to apply the remote participation regime to committees or other bodies, paragraph 4, first subparagraph, shall apply, mutatis mutandis. 6. The Bureau shall adopt measures concerning the operation and security of the electronic means used under this Rule, in accordance with the requirements and standards laid down in paragraph 2. 7. Parliament’s competent bodies shall take all measures, including financial measures, necessary to ensure the availability of state-of-the-art technology and optimal conditions for the effective implementation of Rules 237a to 237d. (This amendment corresponds to Amendment 4 of the Rapporteur, Rule 237c (new).)