The aim of the committees of the European Parliament is to help the European Commission in initiating legislation. They are formed by MEPs from every political group in the Parliament and each Committee has a chairperson and four Vice-Chairpersons.

Memberships in a Committee can be of two kinds:

• Full Member: It has full speaking and voting rights
• Substitute Member: It has full speaking rights but can only vote in replacement of absent full members.

For every report of the Committee, the chairperson appoints a rapporteur who will be in charge. This person is selected from amongst the Members and permanent substitutes of the Committee. Normally, political groups other than the one of the rapporteur appoint a person in charge for that specific report. This person is called ‘shadow rapporteur’ or just ‘shadow’.

Right now, In the European Parliament there are 20 Committees, 2 sub-committees and 1 special committee:

• Foreign Affairs (AFET)
  • Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI)
  • Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE)
  • Development (DEVE)
  • International Trade (INTA)
  • Budgets (BUDG)
  • Budgetary Control (CONT)
  • Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)
  • Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
  • Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI)
  • Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
  • Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO)
  • Transport and Tourism (TRAN)
  • Regional Development (REGI)
  • Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI)
  • Fisheries (PECH)
  • Culture and Education (CULT)
  • Legal Affairs (JURI)
  • Civil liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
  • Constitutional Affairs (AFCO)
  • Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM)
  • Petitions (PETI)
  • Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering

Amelia is a Full Member of ITRE, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy; she is also a Substitute Member in INTA (Committee on International Trade) and CONT (Committee on Budgetary Control).

Christian, her colleague MEP from the Pirate Party, is a Full Member in IMCO, Committee on the International Market and Consumer Protection, and in JURI, the Committee on Legal Affairs.