Tilly Metz was elected Vice-President of the European Parliament this Thursday, 12 November. The Luxembourg MEP from Déi Gréng is thus joining the institution’s Bureau, with responsibilities for its organisation and representation. The role involves both the Parliament’s internal work and, when assigned to her by the President, chairing debates or undertaking representative duties.
Tilly Metz is a member of the Greens/European Free Alliance group, or Greens/EFA. Her place on the Bureau gives this MEP from Luxembourg an additional institutional responsibility: taking part in decisions that enable the Parliament to function. To understand the scope of the role, it is necessary to distinguish between organising the assembly, duties assigned personally to a Vice-President, and the political aims she wishes to pursue.
A responsibility at the heart of the organisation
The Parliament has fourteen Vice-Presidents, who sit on the Bureau alongside the President. It also has five Quaestors, who deal with administrative matters directly concerning MEPs. The roles are complementary, but their titles refer to different responsibilities. Tilly Metz’s Vice-Presidency concerns the European Parliament: it should not be confused with a role within the European Commission.
The Bureau deals with administrative, staffing and organisational matters relating to the European Parliament. It also draws up the institution’s draft budget, that is, an estimate of its financial needs. This is not the European Union’s overall budget: its scope is limited to the Parliament.
These responsibilities give the Vice-Presidency a practical dimension. Organisational decisions determine the framework in which MEPs work and the institution’s activities are carried out. However, the Bureau is not a personal leadership position given to each Vice-President: it is work carried out within a collective body.
Documentation from the Secrétariat général des affaires européennes explains that Vice-Presidents may deputise for the President of the Parliament to chair plenary debates when necessary, and represent the institution at certain ceremonies or specific events. Deputising therefore depends on needs and circumstances; it does not mean that the Vice-President chairs sittings on a permanent basis.
A collective role, with responsibilities assigned
The description of the roles published by the Secrétariat général des affaires européennes gives examples of responsibilities that may be shared among the Vice-Presidents. Two of them are responsible for relations with national parliaments; another for structured dialogue with European civil society on major themes. These examples show that a Vice-Presidency can involve liaison work beyond attending sittings. They do not mean that these duties can be attributed to Tilly Metz: her specific portfolio remains to be confirmed.
Vice-Presidents may be given specific responsibilities by the President. The role therefore does not, in itself, denote a particular policy area. Tilly Metz’s election does not automatically associate her with a portfolio relating, for example, to the environment or relations with Luxembourg. To know which dossiers she will work on in practice, it will be necessary to find out what responsibilities she is assigned.
This distinction also matters when interpreting the aims announced by the MEP. L’essentiel reports that she wants to help make the Parliament democratic, transparent and close to citizens, encourage dialogue between political groups, and champion a healthy and inclusive working environment. These are aims she intends to pursue; they do not describe results already achieved or responsibilities exclusive to the Vice-Presidency.
An election, followed by a new milestone in January
The November election comes ahead of the announced renewal of the Bureau during the plenary week beginning on 18 January 2027. According to L’essentiel, Tilly Metz will stand for re-election. This is significant: her place on the Bureau today does not establish that she will keep the post after the renewal.
The date of 18 January marks the start of a plenary week, not necessarily the day of the vote. The actual timetable for the renewal and its outcome will therefore need to be followed. The November election gives her responsibilities from now on; her announced candidacy for January opens a new stage, the outcome of which remains to be determined.
For readers in Luxembourg, this election can be viewed on two levels. An MEP from the country has taken on an important institutional role; however, that role is exercised within the European Parliament and its collective organisation. Her specific responsibilities, and then the decisions taken in that capacity, will make it possible to assess the practical significance of this new responsibility.
References
- L’essentiel, “Tilly Metz elected as the European Parliament’s new Vice-President”
- Secrétariat général des affaires européennes, “Election of the European Parliament’s Bureau”
Tilly Metz in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in June 2022. Archive photo.
Lisa Darves-Blanc — Tilly Metz, 2022 — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.
