“Members who are on the speakers’ list and do not inform of their absence at the Plenary will no longer be given priority for speaking time in the next 6 months,” reads the document, threatening lawmakers with inclusion on a so-called blacklist if it happens repeatedly.
Moreover, the EPP tracks attendance. Lawmakers who don’t show up for allocated speaking times will be left with no speaking times during the following plenary session, per the document.
To ensure discipline, the EPP checks lawmakers’ voting records against the political direction from the leadership.
Tables and charts are compiled for each member and each national delegation “by month, quarter or semester,” the document stated.
MEPs receive a “personal and confidential letter” twice a year breaking down their attendance and voting in both committees and the plenary that they can compare to the group average.
The data is forwarded to the group’s presidency, to the heads of national delegations and to the coordinators in each committee. It is used “when allocating reports” in committee and in drawing up the list of speakers for the plenary.
Following each plenary, the EPP’s leadership puts together an internal evaluation to break down the number of lawmakers, by nationality, who didn’t follow party guidelines.
Lenaers said the processes “remain a continuous work in progress — always open to discussion and refinement when needed by our members.”