Interface ParliamentaryQuestion

Parliamentary question to EU institutions.

Represents questions submitted by MEPs to the European Commission, Council, or other EU institutions. Questions are a key parliamentary scrutiny tool ensuring accountability and transparency. Answers are published and become part of parliamentary record.

Question Types:

WRITTEN: Written questions requiring written answer (most common)
ORAL: Oral questions answered in plenary (with or without debate)

Rules:

Priority questions: 3-week answer deadline
Standard questions: Variable deadline
Subject to admissibility rules (EP Rules of Procedure Rule 138-139)

Data Source: EP API /parliamentary-questions

ParliamentaryQuestion

Example

const writtenQuestion: ParliamentaryQuestion = {
  id: "E-000123/2024",
  type: "WRITTEN",
  author: "person/124936",
  date: "2024-11-15",
  topic: "Implementation of Digital Services Act in Member States",
  questionText: "Can the Commission provide data on Member State implementation of the Digital Services Act...",
  answerText: "The Commission has received implementation reports from 25 Member States...",
  answerDate: "2024-12-05",
  status: "ANSWERED"
};

Example

// Pending oral question
const oralQuestion: ParliamentaryQuestion = {
  id: "O-000045/2024",
  type: "ORAL",
  author: "person/198765",
  date: "2024-11-20",
  topic: "EU response to climate emergency",
  questionText: "What measures is the Commission taking to meet 2030 climate targets?",
  status: "PENDING"
};

Example

// Priority written question
const priorityQuestion: ParliamentaryQuestion = {
  id: "P-000089/2024",
  type: "WRITTEN",
  author: "person/100000",
  date: "2024-11-10",
  topic: "Food safety incident in Country X",
  questionText: "Is the Commission aware of the food safety incident...",
  answerText: "The Commission is monitoring the situation closely...",
  answerDate: "2024-11-28",
  status: "ANSWERED"
};

See

MEP for author information
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/en/parliamentary-questions.html
EP Rules of Procedure Rule 138-139

interface ParliamentaryQuestion {
    author: string;
    date: string;
    id: string;
    questionText: string;
    status: "PENDING" | "ANSWERED";
    topic: string;
    type: "WRITTEN" | "ORAL";
    answerDate?: string;
    answerText?: string;
}

Index

Properties

author date id questionText status topic type answerDate? answerText?

Properties

author

author: string

Question author MEP ID.

MEP who submitted the question. Questions may also be tabled by committees or political groups (represented by lead MEP ID). All MEPs have right to ask questions (Rules of Procedure Rule 138).

EP API Field: author Format: MEP ID (format: "person/{id}")

Example

"person/124936"

See

MEP for author details

date

date: string

Question submission date.

Date when the question was officially submitted/tabled in Parliament in ISO 8601 format. Starts the answer deadline clock for priority questions.

EP API Field: date Format: ISO 8601 date (YYYY-MM-DD) Validation: Must be valid date

Example

"2024-11-15"

Example

"2024-11-20"

id

id: string

Unique question identifier.

EP reference number following official numbering system. Prefix indicates question type.

EP API Field: reference

Format Patterns:

E-{number}/{year} - Written question
P-{number}/{year} - Priority written question
O-{number}/{year} - Oral question
H-{number}/{year} - Question for Question Time

Example

"E-000123/2024" // Written question

Example

"P-000089/2024" // Priority question

Example

"O-000045/2024" // Oral question

questionText

questionText: string

Full question text.

Complete text of the question as submitted by the MEP. May include multiple parts, background information, and specific queries. Questions must comply with admissibility rules (no personal attacks, within EU competence, etc.).

EP API Field: questionText Format: Plain text or HTML Max Length: Typically 500-2000 characters

Admissibility Rules (Rule 138):

Within EU competence
Not already answered
No personal attacks
Factual basis required

Example

"Can the Commission provide data on Member State implementation of the Digital Services Act, including number of designated platforms and enforcement actions taken?"

Example

"What measures is the Commission taking to meet 2030 climate targets? Has the Commission assessed the impact of recent policy changes?"

status

status: "PENDING" | "ANSWERED"

Question status.

Current status indicating whether answer has been provided. Questions remain "PENDING" until institution provides answer.

EP API Field: status

Values:

"PENDING" - Question submitted, awaiting answer
"ANSWERED" - Answer provided and published

Example

"ANSWERED"

Example

"PENDING"

topic

topic: string

Question topic/subject matter.

Brief subject line describing what the question is about. Used for categorization and searching. Typically 50-150 characters.

EP API Field: subject Max Length: Typically 150 characters

Example

"Implementation of Digital Services Act in Member States"

Example

"EU response to climate emergency"

Example

"Food safety incident in Country X"

type

type: "WRITTEN" | "ORAL"

Question type.

Determines answer format, timing, and procedural rules. Written questions receive written answers published online. Oral questions receive verbal answers in plenary session.

EP API Field: type

Values:

"WRITTEN" - Written question with written answer (most common)
- Standard: Variable deadline
- Priority: 3-week deadline
- Published in Parliamentary Questions database
"ORAL" - Oral question with verbal answer in plenary
- Answered during plenary session
- May include debate
- Verbatim answer in plenary transcript

Example

"WRITTEN"

Example

"ORAL"

`Optional`answerDate

answerDate?: string

Answer publication date.

Date when the answer was officially provided and published in ISO 8601 format. Undefined if question still pending. For priority questions, target is 3 weeks from submission.

EP API Field: answerDate Format: ISO 8601 date (YYYY-MM-DD) Validation: Must be after or equal to question date

Deadlines:

Priority questions: 3 weeks (21 days)
Standard questions: Variable (typically 6-8 weeks)

Example

"2024-12-05"

Example

"2024-11-28"

`Optional`answerText

answerText?: string

Answer text from institution.

Full text of the answer provided by the addressed institution (typically European Commission). Undefined if question still pending. Answers become public record and are published online.

EP API Field: answerText Format: Plain text or HTML Max Length: Variable (typically 500-5000 characters)

Example

"The Commission has received implementation reports from 25 Member States. A total of 47 platforms have been designated under the DSA. Enforcement actions..."

Example

"The Commission is monitoring the situation closely and has requested additional information from Member State authorities..."

Interface ParliamentaryQuestion

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author

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date

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id

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questionText

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status

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topic

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type

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`Optional`answerDate

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Settings

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Interface ParliamentaryQuestion

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Index

Properties

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author

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See

date

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id

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questionText

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status

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topic

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type

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OptionalanswerDate

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OptionalanswerText

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Settings

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`Optional`answerDate

`Optional`answerText