Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety
Much of the work done by the German parliament takes place in its permanent committees, which are constituted by decisions of the Bundestag for the duration of the whole electoral term. The committees formed by the Bundestag reflect the division of responsibilities within the government: As a rule, each federal ministry is paired with a parliamentary committee, the composition of which derives from the relative strengths of the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag. Each committee discusses draft bills that relate to its area of policymaking and makes any amendments required before they can be voted on by the plenary of the Bundestag. Furthermore, the committees are able to hold hearings in order to gather detailed information on the issues from expert witnesses.
