MINUTES. 28 October 2004 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS. of the meeting of. Louise Weiss Building - Room R 1, 1.

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1 EUROPEAN PARLIAMT PV CPG PE-6/CPG/PV/ CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meeting of 28 October 2004 Louise Weiss Building - Room R 1, 1 Strasbourg PV\ doc PE /CPG.

2 PE-6/CPG/PV/ CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meeting of Thursday, 28 October 2004 from 9.30 a.m. to a.m. Louise Weiss Building - Room R 1, 1 STRASBOURG CONTTS 1. Adoption of draft agenda Approval of the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 13 October Adoption of the preliminary draft agenda for the November part-session (15 to 18 November 2004) and the first December part-session (1 and 2 December 2004) - Scheduling of debates in plenary Statements by the President Meeting with the future Luxembourg Council Presidency in Luxembourg Visits by Heads of State to the European Parliament Appointment of Members to serve on the special committee provided for in the EP-Council agreement on European Parliament access to sensitive information held by the Council in the field of the CFSP Convening of the European Parliament on 20 December Election of the European Commission Award of the SAKHAROV Prize for Letter dated 7 October 2004 from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, concerning the candidates selected by the Committee on Foreign Affairs Page PE /CPG. 2/47 PV\ doc

3 6. Organisation of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO from 24 to 26 November 2004 in Brussels and composition of the delegation which will represent the European Parliament thereat - Letter dated 23 September 2004 from Mr BARÓN CRESPO and Mr STURDY, Co-Chairmen of the WTO Parliamentary Conference Steering Committee Delegations' programme for Draft programme of work of the interparliamentary delegations during the fourth quarter of Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mr OBIOLS I GERMÀ, Chairman of the Conference of Delegation Chairmen - Letter dated 14 October 2004 from Mr CASACA, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with NATO - Letters from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mrs MORGANTINI, Chairman of the Committee on Development Sending of a delegation to Vojvoidina - Letter dated 1 October 2004 from Mrs PACK Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) Monitoring of the Lisbon Strategy, preparations for the Spring Summit and recommendation concerning a new working method for Parliament - Letter dated 13 October 2004 from Mr SCHULZ, Mr GOEBBELS and Mr DESIR Proposal from the political groups concerning the European Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee Request from the non-attached Members concerning their entitlement to be appointed to serve on ad hoc delegations - Note dated 22 September 2004 from the Secretary-General Recommendation of the Conference of Committee Chairmen on the requests for authorisation to draw up own-initiative reports submitted by the parliamentary committees - Letter dated 15 September 2004 from Mr DAUL Proposal from the Committee on Development that Mrs SCHEELE and Mr DEVA be appointed as representatives of the European Parliament to serve on the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre for the period Letter dated 21 September 2004 from Mrs MORGANTINI, Chairman of the Committee on Development Request from the Delegation for relations with Iran for authorisation to institute bilateral contacts at the earliest possible date - Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mrs BEER, Chairman of the delegation concerned PV\ doc 3/47 PE /CPG.

4 14. Request from the Committee on Budgetary Control for authorisation to appoint two rapporteurs for its report concerning discharge for the agencies - Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mr FAZAKAS, Chairman of the committee concerned Extending the remit of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway to include the Nordic Region and the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region - Letter dated 5 October 2004 from Mrs WALLIS, Chairman of the delegation Invitation from the OSCE to take part in the Interparliamentary Conference on the fight against organised crime in South Eastern Europe, to be held on 11 and 12 November 2004 in Sofia - Letter dated 7 October 2004 from Mr HASTINGS and Mr GERDJIKOV - Letter dated 19 October 2004 from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs European Parliament delegation to the next COSAC meeting, to be held on 22 and 23 November 2004 in The Hague - Letter dated 19 October 2004 from Mr McMILLAN-SCOTT and Mr MOSCOVICI, Vice-Presidents responsible - draft programme Disputes between committees as to powers and responsibilities Dispute between the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection as regards insurance against civil liability in respect of the use of motor vehicles - Letter dated 18 October 2004 from Mr GARGANI Dispute between the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs as regards the proposal for a Directive on statutory audit of annual accounts and consolidated accounts (COM(2004) 177) - Letter dated 21 September 2004 from Mrs BERÈS - Letter dated 27 October 2004 from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen Urgent matters and other business Sending of a delegation to Iraq - Assignment of powers and responsibilities with regard to Iraq to one of Parliament's standing delegations Sending of a delegation to observe the elections in Mozambique Distribution of a pamphlet concerning Mrs MORGANTINI Allocation of a conference room to the ALDE Group for the organisation of a conference on Turkey PE /CPG. 4/47 PV\ doc

5 20. Items for information Date and place of next meeting PV\ doc 5/47 PE /CPG.

6 CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meeting of Thursday, 28 October 2004 Strasbourg Mr Josep BORRELL FONTELLES, President of the European Parliament, opened the meeting at 9.38 a.m. Present Mr Josep BORRELL FONTELLES, President Political group chairmen Mr POETTERING (PPE-DE) Mr SCHULZ (PSE) Mr WATSON (ALDE) Mr COHN-BDIT, Co-Chairman (Verts/ALE) M. WURTZ (GUE/NGL) M. BONDE, Co-Chairman (IND/DEM) Mr CROWLEY, Co-Chairman (U) Non-attached Members (1) Mrs Mr BELOHORSKÁ CLAEYS Also present: Mr PRIESTLEY, Secretary-General ( 1 ) Present pursuant to Rule 23(2) of the European Parliament s Rules of Procedure. PE /CPG. 6/47 PV\ doc

7 Invited for Item 3: PV CPG Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen Also invited for Item 3: The Council represented by Mr WALL Mr LOPEZ SABINO The Commission represented by Mr ANASTOPOLOUS Mrs PREISING * * * Office of the President Mrs VERGER Mr AGUIRIANO NALDA Mrs OBERHAUSER Mr NANCY Office of the Secretary-General Mr Mr STRATIGAKIS CLARK Secretariat DG Presidency Mr RØMER/Mr PORTA 1 /Mrs STSBALLE 1 / Mrs ALBANI-LIBERALI/Mr SANCHEZ RODRIGUEZ 1 DG Internal policies Mr WELLE/Mr RIBERA D'ALCALÀ 1 /Mr KLEINIG 1 DG External policies Mr NICKEL/Mr PERILLO 1 DG Information Mrs RATTI/Mr LIBERATO/Mr DUCH GUILLOT 1 DG Finance Mr VANHAER Legal Service Mr GARZÓN CLARIANA/Mr PNERA Mrs O. RATTI, Director ad interim for relations with the political groups 1 Present for Item 3. PV\ doc 7/47 PE /CPG.

8 Political groups PV CPG Mr PEDERS/Mr KAMP/Mr LICANDRO/Mr RYNGAERT (PPE-DE) Mr HARLEY/Mr HILLER/Mrs BAPTISTA/Mr VALLI (PSE) Mr BEELS/Mr RINALDI (ALDE) Mrs TSETSI/Mr BEHRD/Mr FERGUSSON (Verts/ALE) Mrs D ALIMONTE (GUE/NGL) Mr VERHEIRSTRAET (IND/DEM) Mr BARRETT (U) Mr BUGALHO (NI) Mr KYST, Mrs VANDBOSCH, Mrs DEAN and Mr HUBER acted as secretary to the meeting. PE /CPG. 8/47 PV\ doc

9 1. Adoption of draft agenda The Conference of Presidents - noted the draft agenda (PE /CPG.); - decided, on a proposal from Mr POETTERING, to enter under Item 19 - Urgent matters and any other business - an item on the sending of a delegation to observe the elections in Mozambique; - decided, on a proposal from Mr WURTZ, to discuss under Item Election of the European Commission, the conciliation meeting at which Mr BARROSO, President-designate of the European Commission, had met some political groups; - decided, in response to a request from Mrs BELOHORSKÁ and on a proposal from the President, to debate at a forthcoming meeting the issue of the entitlement of non-attached Members to be appointed to serve on ad hoc delegations; - decided, on a proposal from Mr WATSON, to enter under Item 19 - Urgent matters and any other business - an item on the problems faced by political groups other then the PPE-DE and the PSE in booking conference rooms in which to hold functions and a proposal submitted by various Members on the sending of an ad hoc delegation to Iraq; - noted a statement by Mr SCHULZ who wanted the Conference of Presidents to take a decision on his proposal concerning the follow-up to the Lisbon Strategy rather than simply holding an exchange of views; - decided, on a proposal from the President, to take the following items without debate: PV\ doc 9/47 PE /CPG.

10 6. Organisation of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO from 24 to 26 November 2004 in Brussels and composition of the delegation which will represent the European Parliament thereat - Letter dated 23 September 2004 from Mr BARÓN CRESPO and Mr STURDY, Co-Chairmen of the WTO Parliamentary Conference Steering Committee, 7.1 Draft programme of work of the interparliamentary delegations during the fourth quarter of Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mr OBIOLS I GERMÀ, Chairman of the Conference of Delegation Chairmen - Letter dated 14 October 2004 from Mr CASACA, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with NATO - Letters from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mrs MORGANTINI, Chairman of the Committee on Development, 7.2 Sending of a delegation to Vojvoidina - Letter dated 1 October 2004 from Mrs PACK Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia- Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo); - decided, on a proposal from Mr COHN-BDIT, to take the following item with debate: 13. Request from the Delegation for relations with Iran for authorisation to institute bilateral contacts at the earliest possible date - Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mrs BEER, chairman of the delegation concerned; - decided, on a proposal from the President, to hold over consideration of the following item: 18.2 Dispute between the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs as regards the proposal for a Directive on statutory audit of annual accounts and consolidated accounts (COM(2004) 177) - Letter dated 21 September 2004 from Mrs BERÈS - Letter dated 27 October 2004 from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, PE /CPG. 10/47 PV\ doc

11 since the secretaries-general of the political groups had asked for more time in which to consider the matter; - adopted the draft agenda, with these changes. PV\ doc 11/47 PE /CPG.

12 2. Approval of the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 13 October 2004 The Conference of Presidents - noted the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 13 October 2004 in Brussels (PE /CPG.) and approved them. PE /CPG. 12/47 PV\ doc

13 3. Adoption of the preliminary draft agenda for the November part-session (15 to 18 November 2004) and the first December part-session (1 and 2 December 2004) - Scheduling of debates in plenary The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: a preliminary draft agenda for the November part-session (15 to 18 November 2004 ) and the first December part-session (1 and 2 December 2004), a letter dated 22 September 2004 from Mr FLORZ, Chairman of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, seeking the entry on the agenda of an oral question with debate to the Commission and Council on the strategy to be adopted for the 10th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, to be held in Buenos Aires from 6 to 17 December 2004 (PE /CPG. + annexes), a letter dated 22 October 2004 from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, seeking the entry on the agenda of an oral question to the Commission and Council on EU aid for reconstruction in the Western Balkans (PE /CPG. + annexes), a letter dated 27 October 2004 from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, forwarding recommendations with regard to the agenda for the part-sessions referred to above (PE /CPG. + annex), a note dated 27 October 2004 from Mr RØMER, Deputy Secretary-General, on the European Parliament's legislative planning for the part-sessions from December 2004 to February 2005 (PE /CPG. + annex); - considered on an item-by-item basis the preliminary draft agenda for the November part-session (15 to 18 November 2004) and the first December PV\ doc 13/47 PE /CPG.

14 part-session (1 and 2 December 2004) on the basis of a note drawn up by the Directorate-General for the Presidency following a meeting with the political group secretaries-general on 27 October 2004 and adopted the proposals set out in that note, with the following changes and subject to further changes which might prove to be necessary if, in the interim, Mr BARROSO, President-designate of the European Commission, submits a new proposal to the European Parliament: TUESDAY, 16 NOVEMBER - decided to withdraw the Commission statement scheduled between 5 p.m. and 5.30 p.m.; - decided to enter on the agenda Council and Commission statements on the risk of nuclear pollution in Iraq. PE /CPG. 14/47 PV\ doc

15 4. Statements by the President 4.1 Meeting with the future Luxembourg Council Presidency in Luxembourg The Conference of Presidents - noted a statement by the President who proposed that a meeting be held between the political group chairmen and the future Luxembourg Council Presidency during the afternoon of 6 January 2005 in Luxembourg. The ordinary meeting of the Conference of Presidents would be held in the morning of that same day and would finish in time for members of the Conference of Presidents to travel from Brussels to Luxembourg. 4.2 Visits by Heads of State to the European Parliament The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents; a list of the Heads of State and other eminent persons who had been invited to address a formal sitting of the European Parliament, a list of the Heads of State of the Member States of the European Union who had not yet addressed the House at a formal sitting and a list of official visits by Heads of State and other eminent persons during the period (PE /CPG. + annexes), a letter dated 22 September 2004 from Mr POETTERING, Chairman of the PPE-DE Group, in which he proposed that the President of the Federal Republic, Mr Horst KÖHLER, be invited to address a formal sitting of the House in Strasbourg (PE /CPG.), PV\ doc 15/47 PE /CPG.

16 PV CPG a letter dated 18 October 2004 from Mr DEVA and Mr FORD in which they proposed that an invitation be issued to Mr Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO, recently elected President of Indonesia (PE /CPG.); - decided that Mr Horst KÖHLER, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, would be invited to address a formal sitting of the House on a date to be arranged with him; - decided that Mr Heinz FISCHER President of the Federal Republic of Austria, would be invited to address a formal sitting of the House on a date to be arranged with him during the Austrian Council Presidency (first half of 2006); - confirmed the list of Heads of State and other eminent persons who had already been invited. 4.3 Appointment of Members to serve on the special committee provided for in the EP-Council agreement on European Parliament access to sensitive information held by the Council in the field of the CFSP The Conference of Presidents - heard the President who said that he had received a letter from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, seeking the appointment of Members to serve on the 'special committee' established on the basis of the European Parliament - Council interinstitutional agreement of 20 November 2002 on European Parliament access to sensitive information held by the Council in the field of the CFSP; - asked the political groups to propose, at the earliest possible opportunity, the names of the four Members to be appointed by the Conference of Presidents, on the understanding that the committee would be chaired by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. PE /CPG. 16/47 PV\ doc

17 4.4 Convening of the European Parliament on 20 December 2004 The Conference of Presidents - noted a statement by the President who proposed that an extraordinary sitting of the European Parliament be convened on 20 December 2004 in Brussels, pursuant to Rule 127(4) of the Rules of Procedure and subject to the availability to attend that sitting of Mr BALKDE, President-in-Office of the Council, so that Mr BALKDE might report to it on the conclusions of the European Council meeting held on 17 December 2004 in Brussels and on the achievement of the Dutch Presidency. 4.5 Election of the European Commission The Conference of Presidents - heard Mr POETTERING, Chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who emphasised, on behalf of his group, how important it was for the President to be objective in the statements that he made in the exercise of his duties; - heard the President who said that, whenever he was speaking in his capacity of President of the European Parliament, he always ensured that he expressed the position of the European Parliament as a whole; - heard Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, and Mr COHN-BDIT, Co-Chairman of the Verts/ALE Group, who deemed it unacceptable that the President-designate of the European Commission should state in plenary that he had consulted the political groups, thereby implying that he had consulted all of them, although in fact he had consulted only certain political groups; PV\ doc 17/47 PE /CPG.

18 - heard Mr BONDE, Co-Chairman of the IND/DEM Group, who took the view that, if the President(-designate) of the European Commission wished to consult the political groups, he should consult all of them. He also regretted that a member of his group had misused a point of order and spoken about a different matter in plenary, although he emphasised that Members had the right to be heard; - heard Mrs BELOHORSKÁ, representing the non-attached Members, who deplored the situation and feared that it might weaken the Commission's position; - heard the President who said that the political group chairmen would be present in Rome the next day for the signing of the Constitutional Treaty and might take the opportunity to discuss this matter with representatives of the Council. He also explained why he had not wanted - nor even been able - to take the large number of points of order raised when the sitting was resumed on Wednesday, 27 October He asked the political group chairmen to give some thought to the approach to be taken in future, should bogus points of order be raised: - heard Mr CROWLEY, Co-Chairman of the U Group, who, while emphasising that the right of individual Members to raise points of order must be protected, pointed out that the Member raising the point of order must specify the rule to which he was referring and that the President was entitled to cut short any Member who abused that right; - heard Mr SCHULZ, Chairman of the PSE Group, who recalled that the political group chairmen spoke on behalf of a large number of Members and deplored the fact that his speech had been interrupted by bogus points of order; - heard Mr BONDE again who suggested that points of order might be forwarded in advance and in writing to the Member in the chair; PE /CPG. 18/47 PV\ doc

19 - heard Mr CROWLEY again who recalled that it was for the President to decide whether or not to call a Member who wished to raise a point of order; - heard Mr WATSON, Chairman of the ALDE Group, who took the view that the President had successfully used the discretionary power conferred on him by the Rules of Procedure. He opposed any change to the Rules of Procedure concerning points of order. Consideration might be given to the possibility of withholding payment of the daily subsistence allowance from any Members who misused the rights conferred on them by the Rules of Procedure; - heard the President who asked the political group chairmen to give him some hints as to what he might include in the speech that he would have to give to the European Council at the summit meeting to be held on 4 and 5 November 2004 in Brussels; - heard Mr WURTZ again who said that he would not be attending the signing ceremony on principle. The President might inform the Italian Government that, if a fresh crisis were to be avoided, action must be taken to give a fresh impetus to the situation; - heard Mr SCHULZ again who proposed that Mr BARROSO be informed that it was in his own best interests not to put forward Mr BUTTIGLIONE again. Member State governments which, except for the German Chancellor, had maintained an eloquent silence, must also act constructively; - heard Mr POETTERING again who was against any naming of names since there was no official European Parliament position on any individuals. The President should call on the governments to cooperate and draw the appropriate conclusions from what had happened in the European Parliament. He also recalled the resolutions adopted by the European Parliament on the Lisbon Strategy and called on the President to defend them before the European Council; PV\ doc 19/47 PE /CPG.

20 - heard Mr WATSON again who wanted the President to emphasise the need for proper and early transposition by the Member States of the directives relating to the single market, a large number of which were not being applied. The European Parliament might make further improvements to the way in which the hearings were conducted, in particular by not restricting statements to members of the parliamentary committees concerned. The European Parliament, the Council and Commission should draw up a protocol of agreement on the hearings and on the procedure for the election of the new Commission. Finally, he was outraged at the deplorable manner in which the Council had left Mr BARROSO to face the music alone; - heard Mr COHN-BDIT again who asked the President to make it clear to the governments and to the current Council Presidency that the new list to be submitted by Mr BARROSO must not include certain persons, the names of whom were already well known; - heard Mrs BELOHORSKÁ again who agreed with Mr WATSON as to the need to improve the rules governing the conduct of the hearings. She deplored in particular the fact that the opposition parties in the home countries of the nominee Commissioners had had an opportunity to attack them and suggested that a second round of hearings be held at one year's remove so that their activities might be reviewed; - heard Mr CROWLEY again who recalled that, under the treaties, it was the governments which nominated the candidates and that it was, therefore, not for the President to give them any hints as to whom they should nominate. He shared Mr WATSON's call for improvements in the conduct of the hearings and proposed that the matter be reviewed at a forthcoming meeting of the Conference of Presidents. He was amazed to hear some members of the Conference of Presidents complaining, on the one hand, about a lack of support for Mr BARROSO from the governments while, on the other hand, others were PE /CPG. 20/47 PV\ doc

21 complaining that the same governments were interfering in the way in which Parliament adopted its position. He asked the President to emphasise to the Council Presidency that it must take into account the position of the European Parliament whenever it was taking decisions which would determine the future of Europe; - heard Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, who told Mr WATSON that all Members had been able to attend, and even speak, at the hearings, although it was true that the technical preparations for the hearings had been made so that the political groups were given the opportunity to speak in accordance with the d'hondt system and that it had been for the political groups to decide who would speak; - heard Mr BONDE again who agreed with Mr POETTERING's view that, until the European Parliament had voted, the President must not name any names in his statement to the European Council, all the more so since the Council had received reports of the hearings. He was convinced that the current procedure for the appointment of the Members of the Commission would give rise to even more heated disputes in the future. Finally, he supported the idea of an interinstitutional agreement on the arrangements for the election of the new Commission which might specify more closely the criteria which the nominees must fulfil; - heard the President who proposed that, at a forthcoming meeting, the Conference of Presidents should review the organisation of the hearings. Compliance with the Treaty was required. That provided for the European Parliament to deliver a vote of approval on the Commission. In his statements, he would be cautious, particularly since the European Parliament had not yet given a formal vote of approval; - heard Mr SCHULZ again who took the view that the President should insist that a new proposal was submitted to Parliament by mid-november 2004; PV\ doc 21/47 PE /CPG.

22 - heard Mr POETTERING again who was firmly opposed to any definite date being fixed but wanted the European Parliament to insist that a proposal be submitted to it in November; - heard the President who suggested that Mr BARROSO be invited to attend a forthcoming meeting of the Conference of Presidents; - heard Mr WATSON and Mr WURTZ again who were in favour of Mr BARROSO's being invited, once he was in a position to submit a new proposal; - heard the President who suggested that Mr BARROSO be invited to attend a meeting after the forthcoming meeting of the European Council; - heard Mr POETTERING again who felt that every opportunity for dialogue should be seized; - heard Mr WATSON again who suggested that the President-in-Office of the Council be invited; - asked the President to call on the Dutch Council Presidency and on the governments to demonstrate a constructive and cooperative attitude; - decided to invite Mr BARROSO, President-designate, to attend a meeting with the Conference of Presidents at his convenience after the meeting of the European Council to be held on 4 and 5 November 2004 in Brussels; - decided to invite Mr BALKDE, President-in-Office of the Council, to attend a meeting with the Conference of Presidents, on a date to be arranged, after the meeting of the European Council to be held on 4 and 5 November 2004 in Brussels; PE /CPG. 22/47 PV\ doc

23 - decided that, at a forthcoming meeting, it would give further consideration to the arrangements for the hearings of nominee Commissioners. PV\ doc 23/47 PE /CPG.

24 5. Award of the SAKHAROV Prize for Letter dated 7 October 2004 from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, concerning the candidates selected by the Committee on Foreign Affairs The Conference of Presidents - noted the letter from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, referred to above (PE /CPG. + annexes); - heard Mr COHN-BDIT, Co-Chairman of the Verts/ALE Group, who regretted that, because of the fraught political situation, the political groups had not had time to consult each other about the various candidates. After a vote in the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, on the one hand, and Mrs Estemirova and Mr Kovalev, on the other, were neck and neck, followed by Mrs Betancourt. Given that developments in Russia were anti-democratic, the award of the prize to Mrs Estemirova, a Chechen activist, and to Mr Kovalev, a Russian dissident, would send out a powerful signal. The award of the Prize to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, on the other hand, would cause problems for President Lukashenko. Furthermore, since the two nominations concerned democratic developments in the same region of Europe, and given the difficulty of deciding between them, the two nominations might be combined and a joint Sakharov Prize awarded. At all events, the European Parliament must demonstrate that a political solution to the Chechen problem was possible. With regard to Mrs Betancourt's plight, it was for the Commission and Council to act. Awarding her the Sakharov Prize would cut no ice with her captors; - heard Mr POETTERING, Chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who was in favour of the Sakharov Prize being awarded to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, principally as a riposte to the election fraud perpetrated in that country. His Group PE /CPG. 24/47 PV\ doc

25 had decided to invite Mrs Estemirova and Mr Kovalev to meet them in order to inform them of its political support. Perhaps they might also be invited to attend a meeting of the Conference of Presidents open to all Members; - heard Mr SCHULZ, Chairman of the PSE Group, who said that his Group had discussed this issue at length because all the candidates merited the award. The Group had finally come down in favour of Mrs Betancourt. However, should that nomination not be able to secure a majority, the Group could also support the Belarusian Association of Journalists. At all events, he asked the political groups to consider what measures might be taken to assist Mrs Betancourt; - heard Mr WATSON, Chairman of the ALDE Group, who said that his Group supported the nomination of the Belarusian Association of Journalists; - heard Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who said that, while it was important to defend freedom of expression and to avoid a situation where Mrs Betancourt's plight was forgotten, his Group supported the joint nomination of Mrs Estemirova and Mr Kovalev. Nevertheless, he could also approve the award of the Prize jointly to them and to the Belarusian Association of Journalists; - heard Mr CROWLEY, Co-Chairman of the U Group, who said that his Group supported the Belarusian Association of Journalists; - heard Mr BONDE, Co-Chairman of the IND/DEM Group, who said that he would abstain; - decided, after a vote, to award the 2004 SAKHAROV Prize for freedom of thought to the BELARUSIAN ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS; PV\ doc 25/47 PE /CPG.

26 - confirmed that, as was customary, the Prize would be presented to the winner at a sitting during the second December part-session in Strasbourg, once the winners had indicated that they would be available to receive it. PE /CPG. 26/47 PV\ doc

27 6. Organisation of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO from 24 to 26 November 2004 in Brussels and composition of the delegation which will represent the European Parliament thereat - Letter dated 23 September 2004 from Mr BARÓN CRESPO and Mr STURDY, Co-Chairmen of the WTO Parliamentary Conference Steering Committee The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letter referred to above (PE /CPG. + two annexes); - decided to approve the request submitted by Mr BARÓN CRESPO and Mr STURDY, Co-Chairmen of the WTO Parliamentary Conference Steering Committee, that a delegation be constituted of 25 Members, to be appointed by the political groups in accordance with the d'hondt system, to represent the European Parliament at the Third Parliamentary Conference on the WTO, to be held in Brussels form 24 to 26 November 2004, and at the subsequent Conference, which will be held in Hong Kong in December 2005 during the WTO Ministerial Conference; - asked the political groups to submit to it a proposal relating to the final composition of the Steering Committee. PV\ doc 27/47 PE /CPG.

28 7. Delegations' programme for 2004 PV CPG Draft programme of work of the interparliamentary delegations during the fourth quarter of Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mr OBIOLS I GERMÀ, Chairman of the Conference of Delegation Chairmen - Letter dated 14 October 2004 from Mr CASACA, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with NATO - Letters from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mrs MORGANTINI, Chairman of the Committee on Development The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the following documents: the letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mr OBIOLS I GERMÀ, Chairman of the Conference of Delegation Chairmen, referred to above (PE /CPG. + annex + financial statement), a letter dated 13 October 2004 from Mrs MORGANTINI, Chairman of the Committee on Development (PE /CPG.), a letter dated 14 October 2004 from Mr CASACA, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PE /CPG.); a letter dated 26 October 2004 from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (PE /CPG./Compl.), - decided to approve, on a proposal from the Conference of Delegation Chairmen, the programme of work of the delegations for the final quarter of 2004, subject, however, to account being taken of the observations made by the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Development, which had been asked for their opinions, and to strict compliance with the calendar of meetings of the European Parliament and the Implementing rules governing the work of delegations; PE /CPG. 28/47 PV\ doc

29 - authorised the Delegation for relations with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to attend meetings of that Assembly's standing committees (a maximum of two members per parliamentary committee), similarly subject to compliance with the calendar of meetings of the European Parliament Sending of a delegation to Vojvoidina - Letter dated 1 December 2004 from Mrs PACK, Chairman of the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) The Conference of Presidents - noted the letter referred to above (PE /CPG.); - gave its agreement of principle to a mission by the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo) to Vojvoidina (an autonomous province of the Republic of Serbia), subject to the inclusion of that mission in the Delegation's programme of activities, holding over to a subsequent meeting its decision on the dates for the mission as well as on the mandate and the size and composition of the delegation appointed to undertake the mission. PV\ doc 29/47 PE /CPG.

30 8. Monitoring of the Lisbon Strategy, preparations for the Spring Summit and recommendation concerning a new working method for Parliament - Letter dated 13 October 2004 from Mr SCHULZ, Mr GOEBBELS and Mr DESIR The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: the letter referred to above signed by Mr SCHULZ, Chairman of the PSE Group, and by Mr GOEBBELS and Mr DESIR, Vice-Chairmen of the Group, (PE /CPG.) an exchange of correspondence between Mrs BERÈS, Mr DEL TURCO, Mr WHITEHEAD and Mr CHICHESTER (letter dated 23 September 2004 from Mrs BERÈS, Chairman of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, letter dated 8 October 2004 from Mr DEL TURCO, Chairman of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, letter dated 20 October 2004 co-signed by Mr WHITEHEAD, Chairman of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, and by Mr CHICHESTER, Chairman of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy) (PE /CPG.); - heard Mr SCHULZ, Chairman of the PSE Group, who submitted his proposal that a temporary inter-committee working party be set up to be responsible for preparing Parliament's position on the Lisbon Strategy, with a view in particular to preparations for the 2005 Spring Summit; - heard Mr COHN-BDIT, Co-Chairman of the Verts/ALE Group, who proposed that, given the large number of parliamentary committees concerned, the number of representatives of the political groups in the working party be increased to two per political group; PE /CPG. 30/47 PV\ doc

31 - heard Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, who said that the Conference of Committee Chairmen would appreciate an opportunity to submit proposals, with particular regard to the arrangements for the involvement of the parliamentary committees. Accordingly, he proposed that the Conference of Presidents should initially adopt simply a decision of principle on this issue; - heard Mr POETTERING, Chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who supported Mr DAUL's proposal; - heard Mrs BELOHORSKÀ, representing the non-attached Members, who wanted the non-attached Members to be entitled to be appointed to serve on the working party as well; - heard Mr SCHULZ again who thanked his colleagues for their suggestions as to the composition of the working party. He would be happy for the Conference of Presidents to take a decision of principle, provided that it took a final decision at its meeting on 11 November 2004; - gave its agreement of principle to this proposal and decided to forward it to the Conference of Committee Chairmen so that that body might submit a proposal relating to the mandate and composition of the working party with a view to the Conference of Presidents taking a final decision at its meeting on 11 November 2004; - approved, in principle, the proposal from the Verts/ALE Group that the number of representatives of each political group on the working party be increased to two and the request from the non-attached Members that some of their number be appointed to serve thereon. PV\ doc 31/47 PE /CPG.

32 9. Proposal from the political groups concerning the European Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted a letter dated 18 October 2004 from Mr POETTERING, Chairman of the PPE-DE Group, on behalf of political group coordination (PE /CPG.); - approved the proposals submitted by Mr POETTERING relating to the exact number of members of the various political groups to be appointed to serve on the European Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee; - decided that the 25 seats would be allocated as follows: PPE-DE - 10; PSE - 8; ALDE - 3; Verts/ALE - 1; GUE/NGL - 1; IND/DEM - 1; U - 1, on the understanding that the seats of the three Vice-Presidents, who were permanent members, and those of the Chairman of and rapporteur for the committee concerned would be deducted from the number allocated to their respective political groups. PE /CPG. 32/47 PV\ doc

33 10. Request from the non-attached Members concerning their entitlement to be appointed to serve on ad hoc delegations - Note dated 22 September 2004 from the Secretary-General It was decided that consideration of this item would be held over so as to give the political groups more time to review the request. PV\ doc 33/47 PE /CPG.

34 11. Recommendation of the Conference of Committee Chairmen on the requests for authorisation to draw up own-initiative reports submitted by the parliamentary committees - Letter dated 15 September 2004 from Mr DAUL The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letter referred to above from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen (PE /CPG. + annexes); - decided, in the light of the justifications put forward, to authorise the drawing up of the own-initiative reports included in the list annexed to Mr DAUL's letter dated 15 September PE /CPG. 34/47 PV\ doc

35 12. Proposal from the Committee on Development that Mrs SCHEELE and Mr DEVA be appointed as representatives of the European Parliament to serve on the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre for the period Letter dated 21 September 2004 from Mrs MORGANTINI, Chairman of the Committee on Development The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letter referred to above (PE /CPG.); - decided, on a proposal from the Committee on Development, to appoint Mrs Karin SCHEELE and Mr Nirj DEVA, members of that committee, to serve as the representatives of the European Parliament on the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre. PV\ doc 35/47 PE /CPG.

36 13. Request from the Delegation for relations with Iran for authorisation to institute bilateral contacts at the earliest possible date - Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mrs BEER, Chairman of the delegation concerned The Conference of Presidents - noted the letter referred to above (PE /CPG.); - heard Mr COHN-BDIT, Co-Chairman of the Verts/ALE Group, who recalled that a decision had been taken to set up a Delegation for relations with Iran. He was now seeking authorisation for that Delegation to commence its activities as soon as possible. According to his information, that was in line with the call made by the enlarged Bureau of the Committee on Foreign Affairs; - came down in principle in favour of the request from the Delegation for relations with Iran that it might commence its bilateral activities, subject, however, to the prior adoption of an official position by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. PE /CPG. 36/47 PV\ doc

37 14. Request from the Committee on Budgetary Control for authorisation to appoint two rapporteurs for its report concerning discharge for the agencies - Letter dated 30 September 2004 from Mr FAZAKAS, Chairman of the committee concerned The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letter referred to above (PE /CPG.), together with a letter dated 27 October 2004 from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, forwarding that body's favourable opinion (PE /CPG./Lt.); - decided, on a quite exceptional basis and without setting a precedent for such matters, to approve the request from the Committee on Budgetary Control for authorisation to derogate from the relevant rules and to appoint two rapporteurs for the report concerning discharge for the agencies. PV\ doc 37/47 PE /CPG.

38 15. Extending the remit of the Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway to include the Nordic Region and the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region - Letter dated 5 October 2004 from Mrs WALLIS, Chairman of the delegation The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letter referred to above (PE /CPG.); - decided to renew its previous decisions whereby the European Parliament is represented at meetings of the Nordic Council and of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region by the Chairman of its Delegation for relations with Switzerland, Iceland and Norway and to the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee. PE /CPG. 38/47 PV\ doc

39 16. Invitation from the OSCE to take part in the Interparliamentary Conference on the fight against organised crime in South Eastern Europe, to be held on 11 and 12 November 2004 in Sofia - Letter dated 7 October 2004 from Mr HASTINGS and Mr GERDJIKOV - Letter dated 19 October 2004 from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letters referred to above (PE /CPG. + annex and PE /CPG./Compl. + financial statement); - decided to authorise four members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, to be appointed by the political groups in accordance with a method to be agreed among themselves, to attend the Interparliamentary Conference on the fight against organised crime in South Eastern Europe, to be organised by the Parliamentary Troika on the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe in Sofia on November PV\ doc 39/47 PE /CPG.

40 17. European Parliament delegation to the next COSAC meeting, to be held on 22 and 23 November 2004 in The Hague - Letter from Mr McMILLAN-SCOTT and Mr MOSCOVICI, Vice-Presidents responsible, dated 19 October draft programme The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letter referred to above (PE /CPG. and, annexed thereto, a draft programme); - decided that the European Parliament delegation to the XXXIInd COSAC meeting, to be held in The Hague on 22 and 23 November 2004, would consist of the two Vice-Presidents responsible for relations with national parliaments (Mr McMILLAN-SCOTT and Mr MOSCOVICI), the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (Mr LEIN), one member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, one member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs plus an additional member of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, the last three to be appointed by the political groups in accordance with the d'hondt system. PE /CPG. 40/47 PV\ doc

41 18. Disputes between committees as to powers and responsibilities 18.1 Dispute between the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection as regards insurance against civil liability in respect of the use of motor vehicles - Letter dated 18 October 2004 from Mr GARGANI The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the following documents: the letter from Mr GARGANI, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, referred to above (PE /CPG.), a letter dated 26 October 2004 from Mr WHITHEAD, Chairman of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (PE /CPG./Compl.), a letter dated 27 October 2004 from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen (PE /CPG./Ann.) - decided to confirm the initial referral of the Common Position of the Council concerning insurance against civil liability in respect of the use of motor vehicles (procedure 2002/0124 (COD)) to the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection as the committee responsible Dispute between the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs as regards the proposal for a Directive on statutory audit of annual accounts and consolidated accounts (COM(2004) 177) - Letter dated 21 September 2004 from Mrs BERÈS - Letter dated 27 October 2004 from Mr DAUL, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen On a proposal from the secretaries-general of the political groups, it was decided to hold over consideration of this item to a subsequent meeting. PV\ doc 41/47 PE /CPG.

42 19. Urgent matters and other business 19.1 Sending of a delegation to Iraq - Assignment of powers and responsibilities with regard to Iraq to one of Parliament's standing delegations The Conference of Presidents - noted a statement by Mr WATSON, Chairman of the ALDE Group, who supported a request submitted by eight Members that an ad hoc delegation should be sent to Iraq; - noted a proposal from Mr SCHULZ, Chairman of the PSE Group, that the Delegation for relations with the Gulf States should be given formal responsibility for relations with Iraq, a proposal supported by Mr POETTERING, Chairman of the PPE-DE Group, but not by Mr WATSON, who took the view that Iraq was covered by the remit of the Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries; - decided that it would ask the Committee on Foreign Affairs to deliver an opinion on these two issues and would review them at a forthcoming meeting, once that opinion had been received Sending of a delegation to observe the elections in Mozambique The Conference of Presidents - noted a proposal from Mr POETTERING, Chairman of the PPE-DE Group, that a delegation be sent to observe the elections to be held in Mozambique on 1 and 2 December 2004; PE /CPG. 42/47 PV\ doc

43 - heard the President who said that those dates coincided with those of a part-session; - decided, on an exceptional basis and given that the visit would coincide with the first December 2004 part-session in Brussels, to authorise the sending of a delegation consisting, exceptionally, of seven Members to be appointed by the political groups in accordance with the rolling d'hondt system. PV\ doc 43/47 PE /CPG.

44 19.3 Distribution of a pamphlet concerning Mrs MORGANTINI The Conference of Presidents - noted a statement by Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who said that a defamatory and threatening pamphlet concerning Mrs MORGANTINI was being distributed; - instructed the Secretary-General to institute an inquiry into such distribution Allocation of a conference room to the ALDE Group for the organisation of a conference on Turkey The Conference of Presidents - noted a statement by Mr WATSON, Chairman of the ALDE Group, who said that his Group was finding it difficult to secure the allocation of a conference room - either the Chamber or one of the two large conference rooms - for the organisation of a conference on Turkey in early December 2004; - noted that the PSE Group was prepared to allow the ALDE Group to use its conference room, provided that, should the need arise, it might use the Chamber for its meetings; - approved the President's proposal that, if that situation did arise, the request be referred to the Bureau under the written procedure. PE /CPG. 44/47 PV\ doc