CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS MINUTES. of the meetings of. Wednesday, 8 May 2002 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Paul-Henri Spaak Building Room 6 B 01 BRUSSELS

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1 PE-5/CP/PV/ CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meetings of Wednesday, 8 May 2002 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Paul-Henri Spaak Building Room 6 B 01 BRUSSELS and Thursday, 16 May 2002 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Louise Weiss Building Room R1, 1 STRASBOURG PART 2 Thursday, 16 May 2002 (3 p.m p.m.) PV\ doc 1 PE /BUR.

2 CONTTS Page 1. Adoption of draft agenda a. Approval of minutes of meeting of 11 April 2002 and record of the extraordinary meeting of 23 April Agenda for the May II part-session (Wednesday, 29 and Thursday, 30 May) in Brussels Preliminary draft agenda for the June part-session (Monday, 10 to Thursday, 13 June) in Strasbourg Agenda for the May II part-session (Wednesday, 29 and Thursday, 30 May) Preliminary draft agenda for the June part-session (Monday, 10 to Thursday, 13 June) Statements by the President Holding of a meeting of the Conference of Presidents open to all Members on Wednesday, 22 May Official visits Disputes as to powers and responsibilities between parliamentary committees Visit by Mr WICKREMESINGHE, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Visit to Libya by a working party from the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb Countries Visit by Mr ABU ALA, chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council Exchange of views on the draft calendar of Parliament part-sessions for Draft Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 June 2001 concerning EP access to sensitive Council information in the sphere of security and defence policy - Letters dated April 2002, from Mr BROK and Mr de MIGUEL Measures concerning the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament Exchange of views on the proposals set out in the documents dealing with 'better lawmaking' - possibly, composition, remit and working methods of the interinstitutional working party PE /BUR. 2 PV\ doc

3 8. Exchange of views on the stage reached in the work of the Convention, in the presence of Mr MDEZ DE VIGO and Mr HÄNSCH, Parliament's representatives on the Presidium of the Convention Proposals for decisions without debate Letter of 23 April 2002 from Mrs PACK requesting authorisation for the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South-East Europe to make an ad hoc visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from 30 May to 1 June Letter of 19 April 2002 from Mr BÜHLER, President of the WEU Assembly, inviting a three-member EP delegation to attend the forthcoming session to be held from 3 to 5 June 2002 in Paris Letter of 25 January 2002 from Mrs AGUIRRE GIL DE BIEDMA, President of the Spanish Senate, inviting a delegation to attend a Conference on the role of the International Criminal Court in Madrid on 27 and 28 June Letter of 11 April 2002 from Mr GARGANI forwarding the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market on the Statute for Members Urgent matters and other business Preparation of the Euro-Mediterranean Forum to be held on 17 and 18 June 2002 in Bari - Composition of Parliament's delegation and appointment of two co-chairmen to represent Parliament on the working parties Letter of 24 April 2002 from Mr WATSON calling for a delegation to be sent to monitor the elections in the Seychelles Letter from Mr MIRANDA on the sending of a five-member delegation from the Committee on Development and Cooperation to Angola, from 21 to 24 June Financial statement Letter of 15 May 2002 from Mrs FRASSONI calling for an ad hoc delegation to be sent to Tunisia in connection with the constitutional referendum to be held on 26 May Items for information Date and place of next meeting PV\ doc 3 PE /BUR.

4 CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meeting of Thursday, 16 May 2002 STRASBOURG Mr Pat COX, President of Parliament, opened the meeting at 3.04 p.m. Present Mr Pat COX, President Political group chairmen Mr POETTERING (PPE/DE) Mr SCHULZ (acting) (PSE) Mr WATSON (ELDR) Mrs FRASSONI (Verts/ALE) Mr WURTZ (GUE/NGL) Mr CROWLEY (acting) (U) Mr BLOKLAND (acting) (EDD) Non-attached Members Mr DELL'ALBA Also present: Mr PRIESTLEY, Secretary-General PE /BUR. 4 PV\ doc

5 Invited for Item 2: Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen Invited for Item 10: Mr ROTHLEY, rapporteur on the Statute for Members Invited for Item 2: The Council represented by Mr WALL Mr NĖMOZ-HERVS The Commission represented by Mr MASSANGIOLI Mr LAU Mr BROGGI The Economic and Social Committee represented by Mr de OLIVEIRA * * * Office of the President Mr JS Mr RIBERA D ALCALÀ Mr DUNNE Mrs DE VICTE Mr SUAREZ MELLA Mrs SK Mrs ÅSIUS Office of the Secretary-General Mr Mr STRATIGAKIS AGUIRIANO NALDA PV\ doc 5 PE /BUR.

6 Secretariat DG I Mr RØMER/Mrs RATTI/Mr PORTA FRIGERI/ Mrs STSBALLE 1 /Mr GUILL ZANON 2 /Mr DREXLER DG II Mr NICKEL/Mr PERILLO 1 /Mr DUCCI 1 DG III Mr ROLVERING/Mr HARLEY/Mr DUCH GUILLOT 1 DG VIII Mr VANHAER Legal Service Mr GARZÓN CLARIANA/Mr PNERA/Mr KRÜCK 3 Political groups Mr WELLE/Mr PEDERS/Mr LICANDRO/Mr RYNGAERT (PPE/DE) Mrs VERGER/Mrs RYAN/Mr HILLER (PSE) Mr BEELS (ELDR) Mrs TSETSI/Mr FERGUSSON (V/ALE) Mrs D ALIMONTE (GUE/NGL) Mr BARRETT/Mr PRETA (U) Mrs VANGRUNDERBEECK (EDD) Mr BUGALHO/Mrs O. RATTI (NI) Mr KYST, Mrs VANDBOSCH, Mr CALINOGLOU, Mr LANE and Mr HUBER acted as secretary to the meeting 1 Present for Item 2. 2 Present for Item 6. 3 Present for Item 10. PE /BUR. 6 PV\ doc

7 1. Adoption of draft agenda The Conference of Presidents - noted the draft agenda (PE /BUR./rev.); - decided, on a proposal from the President: to add an Item 1a Approval of minutes of meeting of 11 April 2002 and record of the extraordinary meeting of 23 April 2002; to hold over the following items to its meeting on 6 June 2002: 4. Exchange of views on the draft calendar of Parliament part-sessions for 2003; 5. Draft Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 June 2001 concerning EP access to sensitive Council information in the sphere of security and defence policy Letters dated April 2002, from Mr BROK and Mr de MIGUEL; 8. Exchange of views on the stage reached in the work of the Convention, in the presence of Mr MDEZ DE VIGO and Mr HÄNSCH, Parliament s representatives on the Presidium of the Convention; to take the following items without debate: 9.1 Letter of 23 April 2002 from Mrs PACK requesting authorisation for the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South-East Europe to make an ad hoc visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from 30 May to 1 June PV\ doc 7 PE /BUR.

8 9.2 Letter of 19 April 2002 from Mr BÜHLER, President of the WEU Assembly, inviting a three-member EP delegation to attend the forthcoming session to be held from 3 to 5 June 2002 in Paris; 9.3 Letter of 25 January 2002 from Mrs AGUIRRE GIL DE BIEDMA, President of the Spanish Senate, inviting a delegation to attend a Conference on the role of the International Criminal Court in Madrid on 27 and 28 June 2002; to enter the following items under Item 11, Urgent matters and any other business: 11.1 Preparation of the Euro-Mediterranean Forum to be held on 17 and 18 June 2002 in Bari Composition of Parliament s delegation and appointment of two co-chairmen to represent Parliament on the working parties; 11.2 Letter of 24 April 2002 from Mr WATSON calling for a delegation to be sent to monitor the elections in the Seychelles; 11.3 Letter from Mr MIRANDA on the sending of a five-member delegation from the Committee on Development and Cooperation to Angola, from 21 to 24 June 2002 Financial statement; 11.4 Letter of 15 May 2002 from Mrs FRASSONI calling for an ad hoc delegation to be sent to Tunisia in connection with the constitutional referendum to be held on 26 May 2002; 11.5 Letter of 15 May 2002 from Mr GALEOTE requesting authorisation for the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb Countries to send a working party to Libya from 14 to 16 June 2002; PE /BUR. 8 PV\ doc

9 - heard Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who called on the Conference of Presidents to take a decision as quickly as possible on the sending of a delegation to Chechnya, in the light of the conclusions of the debate held in plenary in April 2002; - heard Mr WATSON, chairman of the ELDR Group, who called on the Conference of Presidents to consider the status of Members attending international conferences, such as those organised by the United Nations, and the role of the elections coordination group; - heard Mr DELL ALBA, non-attached Member, who raised the issue of why the Delegation for relations with Israel had not met since January 2002 and why, on a number of occasions, its meetings had been cancelled following their announcement; - heard Mr WURTZ, chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who urged the Conference of Presidents to finalise its decision on the sending of a high-level ad hoc delegation to the Middle East; - heard the President, who asked Mr WURTZ to submit a written proposal on that subject; - adopted the draft agenda, with these changes. PV\ doc 9 PE /BUR.

10 1a. Approval of minutes of meeting of 11 April 2002 and record of the extraordinary meeting of 23 April 2002 The Conference of Presidents - noted the minutes of the meeting of 11 April 2002 (PE /BUR.) and the record of the extraordinary meeting of 23 April 2002 (PE /BUR.); - approved the minutes and the record. PE /BUR. 10 PV\ doc

11 2. Agenda for the May II part-session (Wednesday, 29 and Thursday, 30 May) in Brussels Preliminary draft agenda for the June part-session (Monday, 10 to Thursday, 13 June) in Strasbourg 2.1 Agenda for the May II part-session (Wednesday, 29 and Thursday, 30 May) The Conference of Presidents - noted a table prepared by DG I setting out various proposals for changes to the agenda for the May II part-session in Brussels; - noted a letter of 25 April 2002 from Mr COX, President, to Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, chairman of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs, and, annexed thereto, a request from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI for the drafting of a recommendation to the Council in connection with the rejection of a legislative initiative on the amendment of the Europol Convention (DEPREZ report) (PE /BUR. + annex); - heard Mr SCHULZ, acting chairman of the PSE Group, who called, on behalf of his group, for a Council and Commission statement on the reform of fisheries policy and the manner in which that reform had been adopted; he also called for Parliament to adopt a resolution on the institutional aspects of that reform; - heard Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who wondered whether it would be feasible for the Council to adopt a standpoint on a Commission decision taken only the previous day; he took the view that, in the first instance, it was incumbent on the Committee on Fisheries to consider the problem in conjunction with the Council and, on the basis of the outcome of its work, to assess the advisability of putting the matter to the plenary; PV\ doc 11 PE /BUR.

12 - heard Mr DELL ALBA, non-attached Member, who urged against the over-hasty adoption of a Parliament resolution on a decision taken by the Commission only the previous day; he endorsed the views expressed by Mr POETTERING; - heard Mr SCHULZ, who emphasised Parliament s right to exercise scrutiny; - heard Mr CROWLEY, acting chairman of the U Group, who called for the discussion in plenary to focus on the substantive issue of the reform of the common fisheries policy; - heard Mr WURTZ, chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who called for two debates to be entered on the agenda in plenary, one on the reform itself and the other on the institutional aspects of that reform, in order to enable Parliament to seek clarification of the facts already brought to light; - heard Mrs FRASSONI, co-chairman of the Verts/ALE Group, who endorsed Mr WURTZ s standpoint and suggested that the institutional aspects of the problem should be dealt with at Question Time; - heard Mr WATSON, chairman of the ELDR Group, who took the view that Parliament should have the opportunity to put questions to the Council and the European Commission on the statements made by the Spanish Presidency and the decisions taken by Mr Steffen SMIDT, Director-General in the Commission; however, that discussion should be kept separate from the debate on the reform of the common fisheries policy, to be conducted on the basis of a report by the Committee on Fisheries; - heard Mr BLOKLAND, acting chairman of the EDD Group, who noted his group s unanimous wish that the institutional aspects of the reform should be dealt with in plenary at the May II part-session; PE /BUR. 12 PV\ doc

13 - instructed the President, following a vote, to propose to the plenary that the Commission statement on the decisions taken at that day s meeting should be replaced by a Commission statement on the common fisheries policy, a statement which, on this occasion, would not deal with the institutional aspects of that reform; - heard the President and Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who stated that this vote in no way ruled out a future debate on the institutional issues, on the basis of developments with regard to fisheries policy; - instructed the President to submit to plenary the other proposals for changes to the agenda for the May II part-session summarised in the table. 2.2 Preliminary draft agenda for the June part-session (Monday, 10 to Thursday, 13 June) The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: the preliminary draft agenda for the June part-session (Monday, 10 to Thursday, 13 June); a letter of 14 May 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI forwarding the recommendations of the Conference of Committee Chairmen for forthcoming part-sessions (PE /BUR.); PV\ doc 13 PE /BUR.

14 a note of 16 May 2002 from Mr RØMER, Deputy Secretary-General, on the scheduling of business at the part-sessions between July and October 2002 (PE /BUR.); a table drawn up by the Directorate-General for the Presidency giving details of the oral questions outstanding; - considered, item by item, the preliminary draft agenda for the June part-session (Monday, 10 to Thursday, 13 June) on the basis of a note drawn up by the Directorate-General for the Presidency following a meeting with the political group secretaries-general held that day and in the light of the scheduling of parliamentary business, and approved the proposals set out in that note, with the following changes: Tuesday, 11 June decided to hold over the MEDINA ORTEGA report on the regulatory environment drawn up on behalf of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market; Wednesday, 12 June decided to amend the title of the statements to be made by the Council and Commission in connection with the joint debate on the enlargement, deleting the phrase including asylum policy ; - decided to include on the agenda, as part of the same joint debate, Oral Question O-024/02, Asylum-seekers from the future Member States, tabled by the ELDR Group. PE /BUR. 14 PV\ doc

15 3. Statements by the President 3.1 Holding of a meeting of the Conference of Presidents open to all Members on Wednesday, 22 May 2002 The Conference of Presidents - approved, on a proposal from the President, the holding, at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 22 May 2002, of a meeting of the Conference of Presidents open to all Members in order to enable the Commission, represented by Mr PRODI, President and Mr BARNIER and Mr VITORINO, the Commissioners who are members of the Presidium of the Convention, to inform Parliament, as the first body to receive such details, about its contribution to the Convention on the Future of Europe which it would adopt that same day. 3.2 Official visits The Conference of Presidents - noted a proposal from the President that Mr Xanana GUSMAO, new President of the Republic of East Timor (winner of the 1999 Sakharov Prize), and Mrs AUNG SAN SUU KYI, leader of the Myanmar opposition (winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize and the 1990 Sakharov Prize), should be invited to make official visits to Parliament in the coming months; - noted a statement by the Secretary-General, who, in reply to a question raised by Mr WATSON and Mr SCHULZ concerning arrangements for the reception of the President of Côte d Ivoire in Strasbourg on 12 June 2002, outlined the rules governing official or working visits by Heads of State; - noted a call by Mr WATSON that Parliament should consider inviting the head of State of a central or southern African country to make an official visit to Parliament during the next few months; PV\ doc 15 PE /BUR.

16 - decided to consider that call and the calendar of official visits at a forthcoming meeting Disputes as to powers and responsibilities between parliamentary committees The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: a letter of 25 April 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, concerning three disputes as to powers and responsibilities between parliamentary committees (PE /BUR.); three letters of 16 May 2002 from Mr IMBI, Vice-President, forwarding opinions of the Working Party on disputes as to powers and responsibilities (PE /BUR./REP 1, REP 2 and REP 3); - noted a statement by the President, who said that he had received that day the opinion of the Working Party on disputes as to powers and responsibilities concerning three such disputes: (a) as regards the dispute between the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy concerning the proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on the promotion of the use of biofuels for transport (COM(2001) 547 final), the working party was recommending the confirmation of the original referral (ITRE: responsible; VI: opinion; strengthened Hughes procedure between these two committees); PE /BUR. 16 PV\ doc

17 (b) as regards the dispute between the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Committee on Budgetary Control concerning the proposal for a European Parliament and Council decision on computerising movements and surveillance of excisable products (COM(2001) 466 final), the working party was likewise proposing that the original referral should be confirmed (ECON: responsible; BUDG and CONT: opinions); (c) lastly, as regards the dispute between the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy concerning the proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage (COM(2002) 17 final), the working party took the view that the original referral should be changed, with the VI Committee made committee responsible and the JURI Committee asked for its opinion, and was proposing that the Hughes procedure should be applied between these two committees; - heard Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, who said that Mr GARGANI, chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, was challenging the proposal to refer the proposal for a directive on environmental damage to the Committee on the Environment, as the committee responsible, and stated her personal view that the referral of the proposal to the Committee on Legal Affairs, as the committee responsible, should be confirmed, subject to application of the strengthened Hughes procedure between the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on the Environment; - heard the President, who pointed out that it was incumbent on the Conference of Presidents to take decisions on such referrals by endorsing, or otherwise, the recommendations of the working party comprising three Vice-Presidents; hitherto, the Conference of Presidents had always endorsed their recommendations; PV\ doc 17 PE /BUR.

18 - heard Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, and Mr WATSON, chairman of the ELDR Group, who said that they endorsed Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI's standpoint and called for a decision to be taken quickly, not least in the light of the advanced stage the Committee on Legal Affairs had reached in its work; - heard Mrs FRASSONI, co-chairman of the Verts/ALE Group, and Mr BLOKLAND, acting chairman of the EDD Group, who, on the basis of the substance of the proposal for a directive, called for it to be referred to the Committee on the Environment as the committee responsible; - heard Mr SCHULZ, acting chairman of the PSE Group, who suggested that a decision on this dispute as to powers and responsibilities should be held over; - heard Mr WURTZ, chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who suggested that, should their opinion be challenged by a committee chairman, the Vice-Presidents should be heard; - decided to endorse the opinion of the Working Party on disputes as to powers and responsibilities on the dispute between the ITRE and VI Committees concerning the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the promotion of the use of biofuels in transport, confirming the original referral decision; - decided to endorse the opinion of the Working Party on disputes as to powers and responsibilities on the dispute between the ECON and CONT Committees concerning the proposal for a European Parliament and Council decision on computerising movements and surveillance of excisable products, confirming the original referral decision; - decided to hold over to a forthcoming meeting its decision on the dispute as to powers PE /BUR. 18 PV\ doc

19 and responsibilities between the JURI and VI Committees concerning the proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage. 3.4 Visit by Mr WICKREMESINGHE, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka The Conference of Presidents - noted a proposal from the President that the group chairmen should hold an informal meeting with Mr WICKREMESINGHE, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, when he visited Brussels on 20 May 2002; - endorsed that proposal. 3.5 Visit to Libya by a working party from the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb Countries The Conference of Presidents - noted a letter of 15 May 2002 from Mr GALEOTE, chairman of the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb Countries, forwarding information concerning a visit by a working party from his delegation to Libya from 14 to 16 June 2002 (PE /BUR./Compl.); - decided that the visit could go ahead on the basis of that information. 3.6 Visit by Mr ABU ALA, chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council The Conference of Presidents - noted information from the President concerning the possibility of a visit PV\ doc 19 PE /BUR.

20 by Mr ABU ALA to Parliament during the next few weeks. PE /BUR. 20 PV\ doc

21 4. Exchange of views on the draft calendar of Parliament part-sessions for 2003 It was decided to hold over consideration of this item. PV\ doc 21 PE /BUR.

22 5. Draft Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 June 2001 concerning EP access to sensitive Council information in the sphere of security and defence policy - Letters, dated April 2002, from Mr BROK and Mr de MIGUEL It was decided to hold over consideration of this item pending receipt of more information concerning a new Council position. PE /BUR. 22 PV\ doc

23 6. Measures concerning the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament This item was held over. PV\ doc 23 PE /BUR.

24 7. Exchange of views on the proposals set out in the documents dealing with 'better lawmaking' - possibly, composition, remit and working methods of the interinstitutional working party This item was held over. PE /BUR. 24 PV\ doc

25 8. Exchange of views on the stage reached in the work of the Convention, in the presence of Mr MDEZ DE VIGO and Mr HÄNSCH, Parliament's representatives on the Presidium of the Convention It was decided to hold over consideration of this item, given that neither Mr MDEZ DE VIGO nor Mr HÄNSCH was able to attend the meeting. PV\ doc 25 PE /BUR.

26 9. Proposals for decisions without debate 9.1 Letter of 23 April 2002 from Mrs PACK requesting authorisation for the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South-East Europe to make an ad hoc visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted letter of 23 April 2002 from Mrs PACK requesting authorisation for the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South-East Europe to make an ad hoc visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia from 30 May to 1 June 2002 (PE /BUR); - decided to authorise the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South-East Europe, accompanied - on an exceptional basis and in a derogation from the rules in force - by Mr LAGDIJK, rapporteur for the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the stabilisation and association process in South-East Europe, to make an ad hoc visit to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from 30 May to 1 June 2002, provided that the members of the delegation did not begin their journey until the close of business at the May II part-session in Brussels Letter of 19 April 2002 from Mr BÜHLER, President of the WEU Assembly, inviting a delegation of three MEPs to attend its next session, to be held from 3 to 5 June 2002 in Paris The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the letter of 19 April 2002 from Mr BÜHLER, President of the WEU Assembly (PE /BUR. + annex); - decided to authorise a maximum of three MEPs, to be designated by the political groups in accordance with the D'Hondt method from among PE /BUR. 26 PV\ doc

27 the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, to attend the session of the Assembly of the Western European Union to be held in Paris from 3 to 5 June Letter of 25 January 2002 from Mrs AGUIRRE GIL DE BIEDMA, President of the Spanish Senate, inviting a delegation to attend a Conference on the role of the International Criminal Court in Madrid on 27 and 28 June 2002 The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the following documents: a letter of 25 January 2002 from Mrs Esperanza AGUIRRE GIL DE BIEDMA, President of the Spanish Senate, to Mr COX, President (PE /BUR.); a letter of 16 May 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, chairman of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs (PE /BUR./NV); - decided to authorise five Members, to be designated by the political groups in accordance with the D'Hondt system from among the members of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, to attend the Conference on the establishment of the International Criminal Court to be held by the Spanish Senate in Madrid on 27 and 28 June PV\ doc 27 PE /BUR.

28 10. Letter of 11 April 2002 from Mr GARGANI forwarding the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market on the Statute for Members The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: a letter of 11 April 2002 from Mr GARGANI, chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market, to Mr COX, President (PE /BUR.); the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market, dated 9 April 2002, setting out the main features of the Statute for Members (PE /rev.); - heard the President, who called on the Conference of Presidents to take a decision on the procedure to be followed in connection with the Statute for Members, following the adoption of its opinion by the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market; - heard Mr ROTHLEY, rapporteur, who said, first of all, that the report adopted by the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market represented the culmination of a very lengthy discussion and that the substance of the report could no longer be called into question; in his view, that text should be submitted without delay to the plenary, where it would secure a substantial majority; he was also convinced that the negotiations with the Council had a better chance of succeeding if they were based on a mandate adopted by a majority of Parliament s Members; lastly, he called on the Conference of Presidents to consider this matter in the context of the Treaty of Nice and the proceedings of the Convention on the Future of Europe; - heard Mr SCHULZ, acting chairman of the PSE Group, who stated, on behalf of his group, that the next stage in the procedure must be based on the PE /BUR. 28 PV\ doc

29 four following principles: (1) the main features of the draft Statute (emoluments; allowances; optional affiliation to the pension scheme; taxation) could no longer be changed; (2) the difference between Members current and future emoluments represented the key issue; (3) the President and the rapporteur should hold a meeting, as soon as possible, with a Council delegation constituted at the very highest level; following that meeting, the President and the rapporteur should submit to the Conference of Presidents a proposal regarding the procedure to be followed; (4) the adoption of a Statute for Members would constitute a political act of major importance, since Members would finally have their own single statute, completely separate from the statutes governing the work of their national counterparts; - heard Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who said that his group s standpoint was close to that outlined by Mr SCHULZ; he also took the view that there was no further margin for manoeuvre in the negotiations with the Council on the key features of the draft Statute and that the opinion of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market should therefore be submitted to the plenary. As regards Mr SCHULZ s proposal concerning talks with the Council, he proposed that the President and the rapporteur should be accompanied by the chairman of and the coordinators from the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market and that the remit for that delegation should be confined to establishing what view the Council took of the new draft Statute, with no negotiations on its substance; - heard Mr WATSON, chairman of the ELDR Group, who raised the issue of the exact stage reached in the procedure and the advisability of submitting to the plenary a report intended for the President, at the same time confirming that it was incumbent on the plenary to adopt the final decision on this matter. He proposed PV\ doc 29 PE /BUR.

30 that the President alone should be given a remit to sound out the Council and report to the Conference of Presidents on the outcome of the talks; - heard Mrs FRASSONI, co-chairman of the Verts/ALE Group, who endorsed that proposal; - heard Mr WURTZ, chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who likewise endorsed that proposal, at the same time emphasising the exploratory nature of the remit to be issued to the President; - heard Mr BLOKLAND, acting chairman of the EDD Group, and Mr DELL ALBA, non-attached Member, who likewise endorsed that standpoint; - heard the President, who noted that the standpoints adopted by the various groups were very similar and concluded that, in the view of the group chairmen, the report drawn up by the Committee on Legal Affairs was essentially a final set of proposals which should form the basis of any moves to sound out the Council. He stated his readiness to meet the Council, on the basis of the report drawn up by the Committee on Legal Affairs, with the aim of noting the Council s reactions and submitting, as soon as possible, a report on the outcome of that meeting to the Conference of Presidents. He made clear that those exploratory talks would in no way prejudge subsequent decisions by the Conference of Presidents regarding the next stages in the procedure; - heard Mr ROTHLEY, rapporteur, who felt that it was of paramount importance that the plenary should take a decision before any moves were made to sound out the Council and that this matter should finally be referred to the Heads of Government, given that it was highly political in nature. He said that it had been very difficult to reach agreement on the text and that any changes might undermine support for it in plenary. He also pointed out that, if Parliament did not PE /BUR. 30 PV\ doc

31 - have a Statute by late 2002 or early 2003, its entry into force might be delayed until 2009; - heard Mr SCHULZ, acting chairman of the PSE Group, who fully endorsed the proposal put forward by the President; he felt that only the President, and not a Parliament delegation, should hold an exploratory meeting with the Council; he proposed, however, that the Conference of Presidents should take a final decision at its next meeting; - heard Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who called for purely exploratory talks. He wondered at what level the Council would be represented and called for the issue of the designation of Parliament s representative(s) at that meeting to be discussed in advance in the political groups; - heard Mr WATSON, chairman of the ELDR Group, and Mr WURTZ, chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who urged that the decision should not be held over; - heard the President, who wound up the discussion, stating that he understood the need for prior internal consultations in the political groups; he emphasised the need not only for the proposals to secure a majority within the Institution, but also, and above all, for a political agreement with the Council; he stated his intention of holding talks with the President in-office of the Council, Mr AZNAR, as soon as the Conference of Presidents had issued him with a mandate to that effect and his willingness to hold bilateral talks with as many Heads of State and Government as possible; lastly, he drew attention to the need for a pragmatic approach to this matter; - noted the President s willingness to hold exploratory talks with the Council on the basis of the opinion adopted by the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market and report back to the Conference of Presidents as soon as possible in PV\ doc 31 PE /BUR.

32 order to enable that body to decide, if appropriate, to submit that opinion to the plenary; - decided to take a decision at its next meeting on the procedure to be followed. PE /BUR. 32 PV\ doc

33 11. Urgent matters and other business 11.1 Preparation of the Euro-Mediterranean Forum to be held on 17 and 18 June 2002 in Bari - Composition of Parliament s delegation and appointment of two co-chairmen to represent Parliament on the working parties The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: a letter of 27 September 2001 from Mr IMBI, Vice-President, calling on the Conference of Presidents to appoint the co-chairmen of the Euro-Mediterranean Forum s three working parties (PE /BUR.); a letter of 8 November 2001 from Mr IBMI (PE /BUR.) and, annexed thereto a letter of 31 October 2001 to Mrs Fontaine from the Presidents of the Italian Chamber of Representatives and Senate (PE /BUR./Ann.); a letter of 1 March 2002 from Mr DIMITRAKOPOULOS, Vice-President, reporting on the outcome of the third Conference of the Presidents of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliaments held in Athens from 15 to 17 February 2002 (PE /BUR. + annexes); a letter of 23 April 2002 from Mr COLOM I NAVAL, Vice-President, putting forward his candidacy for the co-chairmanship of the working party on migration (PE /BUR.); a letter of 6 May 2002 from Mr IMBI, Mr DIMITRAKOPOULOS and Mr COLOM I NAVAL, Vice-Presidents, proposing their appointment as co- PV\ doc 33 PE /BUR.

34 chairmen of, respectively, the working parties on the Rules of Procedure, on follow-up and on migration (PE /BUR.); a letter of 6 May 2002 from Mr POETTERING putting forward Mr HERNANDEZ MOLLAR s candidacy for the co-chairmanship of the working party on migration (PE /BUR.); a table setting out the composition of Parliament s delegation to the Euro-Mediterranean Forum (PE /BUR./rev.); - heard the President, who emphasised the urgent need to appoint a co-chairman of the working party on migration and human interchange, given that the working party would be meeting the following week; in view of the already late hour, he proposed that the Conference of Presidents should take a provisional, ad hoc decision valid only for that meeting of the working party, pending a final decision to be taken at a forthcoming meeting; - heard Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who called for the decision to be held over and proposed that the political group secretaries-general should endeavour to reach a consensus at their next meeting; - heard Mr SCHULZ, who regretted the failure to take a decision at that day s meeting; - endorsed Mr POETTERING's proposal that the political group secretaries-general should be instructed to designate a co-chairman of the working party on migration and human interchange for the next meeting of that working party only. PE /BUR. 34 PV\ doc

35 11.2 Letter of 24 April 2002 from Mr WATSON calling for a delegation of observers to be sent to monitor the elections in the Seychelles The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: a letter of 22 April 2002 from Mr WATSON, chairman of the ELDR Group, calling for a delegation of observers to be sent to monitor the elections in the Seychelles (PE /BUR.); a letter of 16 May 2002 from Mr BROK, chairman of the Election Monitoring Coordination Group, outlining the results of the group s meeting of 16 May 2002 (PE /BUR.); - decided to authorise the sending of a select ad hoc delegation, whose members would be designated by the political groups in accordance with the D Hondt system, to monitor the general election in the Seychelles; - decided to consider, at its next meeting, the proposals set out in Mr BROK s letter concerning the sending of future delegations and to refer to the Committee on Foreign Affairs the issue of the new draft amendment to Article 21 of the implementing provisions governing the work of delegations Letter from Mr MIRANDA requesting authorisation for the Committee on Development to send a five-member delegation to Angola from 21 to 24 June Financial statement This item was held over. PV\ doc 35 PE /BUR.

36 11.4 Letter of 15 May 2002 from Mrs FRASSONI calling for an ad hoc delegation to be sent to Tunisia in connection with the constitutional referendum to be held on 26 May 2002 The Conference of Presidents - noted the letter of 15 May 2002 from Mrs FRASSONI, co-chairman of the Verts/ALE Group (PE /BUR.); - noted the remarks made by the Election Monitoring Coordination Group, as set out in Mr BROK s letter of 16 May 2002; - heard Mr POETTERING, chairman of the PPE-DE Group, who advocated sending a select delegation; - decided to approve the sending of a select ad hoc delegation,whose members would be designated by the political groups in accordance with the D Hondt system. PE /BUR. 36 PV\ doc

37 12. Items for information The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: a letter of 26 April 2002 from Mr IMBI, Vice-President, reporting on the participation by an EP delegation in the 19 th session of the Commonwealth Interparliamentary Assembly and the Forum on the fight against terrorism (PE /BUR. + annexes); a letter of 2 May 2002 from Mrs KARAMANOU, chairman of the Committee on Women s Rights and Equal Opportunities, on the invitation issued to the female members of the Convention to hold an exchange of views on the future of Europe (PE /BUR. + annex); a letter of 16 May 2002 from Mr LICANDRO, Deputy Secretary-General of the PPE-DE Group, on the appointment of Mr GRAÇA MOURA to the Lithuania delegation (PE /BUR.). ANNEX 1 a letter of 14 May 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, on the proposals from the Conference of Committee Chairmen concerning own-initiative reports (INI) (PE /BUR.); PV\ doc 37 PE /BUR.

38 In accordance with the decision of the Conference of Presidents of 9 December 1999 laying down the procedure for the authorisation of own-initiative reports within the meaning of Rule 163 of the Rules of Procedure, requests which the Conference of Committee Chairmen has referred to the Conference of Presidents shall be deemed to have been authorised, save where the Conference of Presidents delivers an opinion to the contrary, one month at the latest following the referral. ANNEX 2 a letter of 14 May 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, on reports on documents forwarded for information (COS documents) (PE /BUR.); In accordance with the decision of the Conference of Presidents of 15 June 2000 concerning the procedure for the authorisation of COS reports, requests which the Conference of Committee Chairmen has referred to the Conference of Presidents shall be deemed to have been authorised, save where the Conference of Presidents delivers an opinion to the contrary, one month at the latest following the referral. PE /BUR. 38 PV\ doc

39 13. Date and place of next meeting The Conference of Presidents - decided to hold its next meeting from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Thursday, 6 June 2002 in Brussels. * * * The meeting closed at 5.36 p.m. * * * PV\ doc 39 PE /BUR.