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| Secretary-General of the European Parliament | |
|---|---|
| Post | Secretary-General of the European Parliament |
| Body | European Parliament |
| Incumbent | Piero Fassino |
| Incumbentsince | 2024 |
| Seat | Parliament of the European Union; Brussels; Strasbourg |
| Appointer | European Parliament Bureau |
| Formation | 1952 |
| Firstholder | Paul-Henri Spaak |
Secretary-General of the European Parliament
The Secretary-General of the European Parliament is the highest-ranking civil servant in the European Parliament administration, charged with managing the Parliament's Secretariat and ensuring the execution of decisions taken by the European Parliament and its political bodies such as the Conference of Presidents, the Bureau of the European Parliament, and the Conference of Committee Chairs. The office mediates between elected Members of the European Parliament and the administrative apparatus, coordinating activities across the Parliament's locations in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg. The incumbent operates at the intersection of parliamentary procedure, EU interinstitutional relations with the European Commission and the Council of the European Union, and the Parliament's internal services, including legal, translation, and security units.
The Secretary-General leads the Secretariat, overseeing services such as Legal Service (European Parliament), Directorate-General for Translation, European Parliamentary Research Service, and Europarl TV while implementing decisions from the European Parliament plenary, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, and the Committee on Budgetary Control. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in parliamentary procedure, preparing the agenda for plenary sessions in conjunction with the Conference of Presidents, and coordinating administration for delegations to bodies like the European Council and the Committee of the Regions. The Secretary-General also supervises human resources, financial management liaising with the European Court of Auditors, procurement procedures aligned with European Ombudsman standards, and operational security cooperating with Europol and local authorities.
The Secretary-General is appointed by the European Parliament Bureau on the basis of recommendations from a selection panel, typically following procedures involving the Conference of Presidents and advice from the Council of the European Union or the European Commission in practice. The tenure is regulated by the Parliament's internal rules; appointments have varied in length, with renewals subject to Bureau approval and political consensus among groups such as the European People's Party, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, and Renew Europe. Removal or replacement may involve motions within the Bureau of the European Parliament and consultations with the European Parliament Presidium, and controversial appointments have occasionally prompted involvement from the European Court of Justice or scrutiny by the European Ombudsman.
The Secretariat under the Secretary-General is organized into Directorates-General and services including DG Communication, DG Internal Policies, DG External Policies, and specialist units such as the Joint Research Centre liaison and the European Personnel Selection Office interface. Functional responsibilities encompass legislative support provided to committees like the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, procedural advice to chairs and rapporteurs, translation and interpretation services for plenary and committee meetings, and technical support for voting systems, including remote voting pilots. The Secretary-General manages interinstitutional coordination through formal channels such as the Interinstitutional Relations mechanisms, participation in trilogues indirectly via administrative facilitation, and oversight of the Parliament's assets in Strasbourg hemicycle and the Espace Léopold complex.
Notable holders of the office have included senior European civil servants drawn from national administrations and international organizations such as the European Coal and Steel Community and the Council of Europe. Past officeholders have engaged with figures and events including Jacques Delors, Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev, and treaty milestones like the Maastricht Treaty and the Lisbon Treaty, shaping the Secretariat's evolution. The list of secretaries-general reflects the Parliament's enlargement phases encompassing countries from Germany and France to later members such as Poland and Romania, with appointments often reflecting language balance and expertise in legislative affairs, interinstitutional law, and administrative reform.
The Secretary-General acts as principal adviser to the President of the European Parliament and the Bureau of the European Parliament, providing neutral administrative guidance to political groups including Identity and Democracy (political group), Greens–European Free Alliance, and European Conservatives and Reformists. The office supports MEPs in drafting reports, amendments, and written questions, liaises with group offices on logistical matters, and ensures impartial application of rules of procedure during disputes before bodies such as the Committee on Legal Affairs. The Secretary-General also interfaces with national parliamentary bodies like the Bundestag and Assemblée Nationale when coordinating interparliamentary delegations, and manages transparency obligations under initiatives inspired by the Transparency Register.
Since its origins in the parliamentary assembly structures of the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community, the Secretary-General's role has expanded alongside treaty reforms including the Single European Act, the Treaty of Amsterdam, and the Treaty of Nice. Administrative reforms have introduced modern human resources practices, digitalisation projects reflecting standards from the European Data Protection Supervisor, and budgetary controls aligned with the Multiannual Financial Framework. Reforms responding to enlargement waves, evolving interinstitutional practice with the European Commission and European Council, and accountability mechanisms promoted by the European Ombudsman have reshaped the Secretariat into a professional civil service bridging elected institutions and EU administrative networks.