| Type of parliamentary body |
Multifunctional |
| Nature |
Permanent |
| Related to chambers |
Folketinget
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| Date of creation |
1973 |
| Last renewal date |
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| Mandate |
The Committee deals primarily with issues regarding the EU. The Committee is not competent to deal with matters of international trade in general per se, apart from international trade issues handled within the EU such as the WTO.
Regarding the WTO, the Committee approves the national policy guidelines prior to WTO ministerial conferences. Also, it is common practice for the plenary to debate the policy guidelines prior to the WTO ministerial conferences.
The Committee also handles legislative proposals - so called proposals for parliamentary resolutions - on the WTO. A parliamentary resolution often instructs the government to act in a certain way, e.g. to work towards the reduction of export subsidies.
Furthermore, the government is bound to keep the Committee informed of developments within the WTO. Accordingly, the government submits a written statement on the WTO to Parliament twice a year.
The Committee participates in the national delegation to the ministerial conferences along with four specialized parliamentary committees (the Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on the Environment, the Foreign Policy Committee and the Committee on Industry).
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| Membership |
The Committee is composed of 17 titular members and 12 substitute members. Each party in Parliament appoints its own members. The number of members to which each party is entitled depends on its representation in Parliament as a whole. |
| Working methods |
The government may place WTO-related issues on the Committee's agenda. The Committee may call relevant ministers to participate in a debate on specific issues or to answer written questions. The Committee meetings are not public.
The government is the principal source of information, but the Committee also receives letters and applications from civil society actors such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The Committee rarely issues public reports.
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| Relations with other parliamentary bodies |
Four specialized committees (Agriculture, Industry, Environment and Foreign Policy) participate along with the European Affairs Committee in the national delegation to the WTO ministerial conferences. |
| Relations with external bodies |
The Committee participates in the national delegation to the ministerial conferences. The government is bound to keep the Committee informed of developments within the WTO. Accordingly, the government submits a written statement on the WTO to Parliament twice a year.
Regarding the relationship with civil society, the Committee receives letters and applications from NGOs, etc. Furthermore, civil society representatives may be given the opportunity to appear before the Committee to present their opinion on certain issues.
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| Subjects dealt with |
The Doha Development Agenda in general and certain areas of GATS (e.g. water supply sector) and the agricultural negotiations in particular have been the central issues dealt with recently. |
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
| Main address |
Danish Parliament, Christiansborg, DK-1240 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Phone |
+45 33 37 36 10 |
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PRESIDING OFFICER(S)
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| Name |
Mr. Peter Juul Larsen |
| Notes |
Head of the EU Secretariat of the Danish Parliament |
| Address (if different from above) |
Danish Parliament, Christiansborg, DK-1240 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Phone |
+45 33 37 36 10 |
| Fax |
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| E-mail |
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| Website |
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SECRETARY
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| Name |
Ms. Anne-Sofie Jensen |
| Notes |
Secretary to the European Affairs Committee |
| Address (if different from above) |
Danish Parliament, Christiansborg, DK-1240 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Phone |
+45 33 37 36 10 |
| Fax |
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| E-mail |
iaansj@ft.dk |
| web site: |
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| Notes |
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