Coordinator
Every political group in the European Parliament has a coordinator for each committee. The coordinators plan the agendas of the meetings with the President and Vice-Presidents of the committees. They also negotiate amendments and influence the outcome of deliberations.
The coordinators are the most powerful members of a committee since the role of Vice-President particularly is more formal. For each topica committee also appoint a rapporteur to write a report and suggest amendments to the proposals for new laws coming from the European Commission.
The political groups then appoint shadow rapporteurs to negotiate with the rapporteur.
The role of coordinators, rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs has been inserted in the rules of the Parliament. This was proposed by a Reform Working Group in a report published in April 2009.
See also European Parliament, Reform Working Group, Rapporteurs and Shadow rapporteurs.