Iceland's Minister of Fisheries defended a bill to revoke lumpfish quotas and plans to allow nets to be pulled up in bad weather, addressing concerns at a parliamentary committee meeting.

The Socialist Party (PS) has proposed a parliamentary committee to investigate the Glória elevator accident, aiming to hear relevant entities and oversee the compensation process, while the public prosecutor's inquiry continues.

A joint session of the Security and Defense Committee and the Political System, Judiciary, and Administration Committee is being held in the Parliament of Montenegro to determine circumstances related to the escape of a suspect and other security matters.

Hours of testimony in a parliamentary committee - Donald Trump asked to be examined under oath about his relationship with Epstein The post Hillary Clinton: “I am 100% sure that Bill Clinton did not know about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes” appeared first on ProtoThema English.

The Congress party in India has accused the government of irregularities in land acquisition for an Adani coal block in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli, demanding a joint parliamentary committee investigation.

Amid intense election rumors in Denmark, parliamentary committees are canceling foreign trips and private holidays. Former handball star is panicking, while Lars Løkke Rasmussen remains unaffected.

The Serbian Parliamentary Committee for European Integration adopted a draft law on establishing and functioning of the cohesion policy management system.

Zbigniew Ziobro did not appeal the parliamentary committee's decision to reprimand him for absence from parliamentary sessions. The Presidium of the Sejm will now consider a motion to reduce his diet and salary.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — The Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Women, Children and Community Development has...

An opposition initiative to hold a control hearing before the parliamentary Committee for Political System and Judiciary regarding the election of the Mayor of Kotor failed to gain support, as all majority members abstained.

A parliamentary committee has demanded accountability for the theft of 2,828 cartons of confiscated cigarettes from Federal Board of Revenue godowns in Swabi and Mardan, summoning the FBR chairman for an explanation.

Türkiye has made progress in the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK after a parliamentary committee agreed upon the guidelines for Parliament in the terror-free Türkiye initiat...

Italy's parliamentary committee for the security of the Republic (Copasir) has summoned the director of the Aise (Italy's foreign intelligence agency), Giovanni Caravelli, for an audition. The discussion will include the 'Crosetto case', following Caravelli's prediction of an escalation in the area two weeks prior.

The Special Parliamentary Committee for Electoral Reform in Albania has begun discussions on the financing of political parties, with Damian Gjiknuri announcing an agreement for both the majority and opposition to produce a joint draft, urging against partisan animosity.

Mark Henrichman, chairman of the German parliamentary committee for the oversight of secret services, stated that retaliatory measures, including those that could be carried out by 'Iranian sleeper cells in Europe',…

Valentina Pavličić, President of the Supreme Court, stated that the President of the High Court in Podgorica, Zoran Radović, cannot participate in a control hearing before parliamentary committees regarding the escape of Miloš Medenica, deeming such a format unconstitutional.

The Transport Ministry has proposed adopting Germany’s marking system for electric scooters to curb reckless use, avoiding the need for a costly device registry. Senior ministry official Afroditi Kofterou told a parliamentary committee there is no uniform European approach to scooter problems, with each country using its own system. After consulting stakeholders, the ministry proposes […]

A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is scheduled to meet with non-NDA governments to discuss a bill, with lawmakers like Owaisi flagging 'flaws' regarding arrested ministers losing posts while arrested lawmakers retain status.

In its final days, the Bulgarian parliament saw former ruling parties reallocate seats in parliamentary committees to accommodate ministers returning from Rosen Zhelyazkov's government.

The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner has expressed concerns and called for a parliamentary committee to ban the detention of children in deportation camps planned by authorities.

Stéphanie Obertin, a minister in Luxembourg, faced criticism from parliamentary committee members for her defense of the audit commissioned for the university's administration and human resources.

Kenyan Cabinet Secretary Ogamba and Bitok have appeared before a Parliamentary Committee to address the ongoing controversy surrounding school capitation.

Allama Raja Abbas has called for improved ties with Imran Khan, promising that the government will not be toppled, and demanded a joint parliamentary committee to address issues related to the jailed PTI founder.

REPORTS on the attendance of parliamentarians during sessions almost invariably evoke much interest among citizens. Although the average attendance in the National Assembly has been hovering around 60 per cent for the last many years and the citizenry seems to have made its peace with that, there are statistics which sometimes shock the people. For example, a Fafen report on parliamentarians’ attendance during the 23rd National Assembly session held from Jan 12 to Jan 22 this year indicates that 47 or 14pc members remained absent throughout the session and didn’t attend even a single sitting; 276 or 83pc of the total 332 members skipped at least one session. Similar statistics about the 22nd session indicate that about 70pc of the absent members didn’t seek prior leave from the House. The system of taking attendance is such that a person marked present might not have been there throughout the sitting and his/her presence for even a fraction of the sitting may be marked as present. Given the fact that the average duration of a sitting ranges from two to three hours (it was two hours during the first year of the present National Assembly), a member attending the sitting may have been present only for a few minutes. The absence of members from a sitting significantly impacts parliamentary proceedings. Our parliamentary system requires the presence of at least 25pc of the total members which constitutes the quorum. The Assembly proceedings are stopped after a member points out a lack of quorum and the subsequent head count confirms that the minimum required members are not present. A Pildat report indicates that during the past (15th) National Assembly, lack of quorum was pointed out in 105 (23pc) of sittings, and subsequently, 72 or 16pc of the sittings had to be adjourned on this basis. The abrupt termination of a day’s proceedings impacts the productivity of the Assembly as the day’s agenda (order of the day) is left incomplete. During the five years of the 15th National Assembly, on average, less than 50pc (49.47pc to be exact) of the agenda items could be taken up by the Assembly. Ministers’ absence also impacts the quality of proceedings and some of the agenda items have to be deferred because the relevant minister is not present. During the 23rd session of the current Assembly, for example, 29 federal ministers were supposed to answer members’ questions but a majority (19) of them did not show up on the day allocated for answering questions relating to their ministries. In most cases, the absence of the minister concerned deprives members of the opportunity to ask supplementary questions. Simi­larly, adjournment motions, privilege moti­ons and call-attention notices also require the presence of the minister concerned. The Speaker has repeatedly expressed displeasure at the frequent absence of ministers. Sometimes, ministers of state and parliamentary secretaries do not show up either to fill in for the minister concerned. Pakistan’s parliament is not the only one which faces issues of low attendance. Ministers generally take their cue from the prime minister and they are more likely to show up in the House if the PM is particular about his presence. During the life of the 15th Assembly, the attendance of the PM was a mere 13pc (11pc for Imran Khan and 17pc for Shehbaz Sharif). The attendance becomes more known through the media in the case of plenary sittings but the status of attendance is no different in the case of parliamentary committees. Many meetings are adjourned by the chair because the minister concerned and senior officials of the ministry do not show up at the meeting, leading to a wastage of financial resources spent on convening the meetings. However, one may add that Pakistan’s parliament is not the only one which faces issues of low attendance. Many parliaments face a similar situation and a number of parliaments have waived the condition of the presence of a minimum percentage of members for the validity of the proceedings. For example, the UK parliament and US Congress do not have a quorum requirement. The proceedings of the legislatures continue in these countries even if a single member is present in the House. In the case of the UK parliament, many parliamentary committees hold their meetings concurrently with the plenary. The proceedings of the plenary are watched by the members on CCTV while sitting in their offices or in meeting rooms. Members’ presence is required when a motion or a bill has to be voted on. Bells are rung at that time and members available within parliamentary precincts rush to the chamber to vote. The absence of a member from the precincts during the time of the plenary is, however, rare and frowned upon. A major reason for our legislators to be casual about their presence during the Assembly sittings has a lot to do with the preferences of a majority of their voters. Most voters are not so keen about their legislators’ performance in the Assembly. A member who works very hard on his parliamentary speeches and, for example, scrutiny of the annual budget, is seldom appreciated by the constituents. People want their elected representatives to attend to their personal issues, which need an influential legislator’s support for resolution due to poor governance. Finding jobs for constituents and their family members is one of the top expectations from legislators. Interceding with the local administration and police on behalf of the constituents to sort out their day-to-day problems is also among the informal responsibilities of legislators. Attending the weddings and funerals of voters’ extended families, too, is a strong preference of constituents. These informal chores are likely to be of greater help to a legislator in his re-election than making a speech in the House. The weak attendance of legislators is, therefore, not because of their lethargy. Instead, it is a reflection of the ground realities of our own governance and culture. The writer is president of the Pakistan-based think tank Pildat. X: @ABMPildat Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026

A parliamentary committee has opened an investigation into the Berlin branch of the Christian Democratic Union for allegedly misallocating 2.6 million euros intended to combat antisemitism.

The Icelandic Parliament's Industry Committee is holding an open meeting to discuss bill 153, concerning fishing in Iceland's exclusive economic zone and fisheries management, with Hanna Katrín answering questions.

Slovak Prosecutor General Maroš Žilinka prematurely left a parliamentary committee meeting concerning the donation of MiG fighter jets, expressing strong criticism.

A photograph reportedly interrupted Hillary Clinton's closed-door testimony to a parliamentary committee concerning her and her husband's alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Charles Alloncle accused MoDem MP Erwan Balanant of threatening him, denouncing 'unacceptable threats and intimidations' during parliamentary committee work and calling for sanctions.

The Serbian Parliamentary Committee for European Integration adopted a draft law on establishing and functioning of a system for managing cohesion policy.

A Polish Law and Justice (PiS) MP reportedly 'did not manage' to review the list of purchases from the EU's SAFE program before a parliamentary committee meeting, despite the document being available since December.

The parliamentary finance and national defense committees have positively reviewed the Senate's amendments to the SAFE Act, with a vote in the Sejm scheduled for Friday.

Rajya Sabha member Derek O’ Brien of the Trinamool Congress has highlighted the significant underutilisation of funds allocated for the North East and called for a probe by a Parliamentary Committee.

Uruguay is progressing towards ratifying the EU–Mercosur agreement after a special parliamentary committee approved the bill, paving the way for floor votes.

Türkiye has made progress in the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK after a parliamentary committee agreed upon the guidelines for Parliament in the terror-free Türkiye initiat...