CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS MINUTES. of the meeting of Thursday, 7 December 2000 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Paul-Henri Spaak Building, Room 6B01 BRUSSELS

Transcription

1 PE-5/CP/PV/ CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meeting of Thursday, 7 December 2000 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Paul-Henri Spaak Building, Room 6B01 BRUSSELS C O N T E N T S Page 1. Adoption of draft agenda Approval of minutes of meetings of 5 and 19 October and of 14 November Adoption of the final draft agenda for the December 2000 part-session (Monday, 11 to Friday, 14 December 2000) Statements by the President Disputes as to powers and responsibilities between parliamentary committees Constitution of a working party consisting of three Vice-Presidents Letter dated 29 November 2000 from Mr IMBI Possibly, exchange of views on the progress of the negotiations for a draft agreement with the Council concerning access by the European Parliament to classified information of the Council in the field of security and defence policy Exchange of views on the new proposals on COSAC activities following the XXIIIrd COSAC meeting held in Versailles on 16 and 17 October Proposals for decisions without debate Setting up of an ad hoc high-level group instructed to propose a replacement for Mr DA CUNHA as a member of the OLAF Supervisory Committee PV\ doc 2 PE /BUR.

2 7.2 Letter dated 26 October 2000 from Mr QUIROGA inviting the European Parliament to send a delegation to the Fourth Transatlantic Interparliamentary Conference on Drug Control, to be held from 21 to 23 February 2001 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia Urgent matters and other business Proposal concerning the composition of the Temporary Committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine Items for information Date and place of next meeting PV\ doc 3 PE /BUR.

3 CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meeting of Thursday, 7 December 2000 BRUSSELS Mr D. MARTIN, Vice-President of the European Parliament, opened the meeting at 3.06 p.m. Present: Mr D. MARTIN, Vice-President and acting President Political group chairmen Mr FRIEDRICH (acting) (PPE-DE) Mr BARÓN CRESPO (PSE) Mr COX (ELDR) Mr LAGDIJK (acting) (Verts/ALE) Mr WURTZ (GUE/NGL) Mr CROWLEY (acting) (U) Mr DELL'ALBA (TDI) Mr BLOKLAND (acting) (EDD) Non-attached Members (1) Mrs GARAUD Apologies for absence: Mr PRIESTLEY, Secretary-General (1) Present pursuant to Rule 23(2) of the European Parliament's Rules of Procedure. PE /BUR. 4 PV\ doc

4 Invited for Item 3: PV CP Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen - The Council represented by Mr WALL Mrs KASKIMO - The Commission represented by Mr FITZMAURICE Mr BROGGI - The Economic and Social Committee represented by Mrs CARER Office of the President * * * Mr Mr Mr Mr Mr RØMER HANZ KAVALIERAKIS BASSOT WOODARD Office of the Secretary-General Secretariat Mr Mr STRATIGAKIS AGUIRIANO NALDA DG I Mr VANHAER/Mrs RINGELSTEIN/Mrs F. RATTI/ Mr PORTA/Mrs STSBALLE/Mr SUÁREZ MELLA DG II Mr NICKEL/Mr PERILLO/Mr DUNNE/Mrs LEMPEREUR/ DG III Mr BARAGIOLA Legal Service Mr GARZÓN CLARIANA/Mr PNERA PV\ doc 5 PE /BUR.

5 Political groups Mr RYNGAERT/Mr HILDEBRANDT (PPE-DE) Mrs VERGER/Mrs RYAN/Mr COSTELLO (PSE) Mr JS/Mr BEELS (ELDR) Mr FERGUSSON (Verts/ALE) Mrs D ALIMONTE/Mr HERMANSSON (GUE/NGL) Mr GAY (U) Mrs O. RATTI/Mr DESTOUCHES (TDI) Mrs VANGRUNDERBEECK (EDD) Mr KYST, Mrs VANDBOSCH, Mr DREXLER and Mr SÁNCHEZ RODRÍGUEZ acted as secretary to the meeting. PE /BUR. 6 PV\ doc

6 1. Adoption of draft agenda PV CP The Conference of Presidents - noted the draft agenda (PE /BUR.); - decided, on a proposal from Mr D. MARTIN, acting President,. to hold over the following items to a forthcoming meeting: 5. Possibly, exchange of views on the progress of the negotiations for a draft agreement with the Council concerning access by the European Parliament to classified information of the Council in the field of security and defence policy pending the outcome of a meeting with the Council scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 12 December 2000 in Strasbourg, 6. Exchange of views on the new proposals on COSAC activities following the XXIIIrd COSAC meeting held in Versailles on 16 and 17 October 2000 since Mr PODESTÀ was unable to attend this meeting,. to take without debate the following item: 7.1 Setting up of an ad hoc high-level group instructed to propose a replacement for Mr DA CUNHA as a member of the OLAF Supervisory Committee, PV\ doc 7 PE /BUR.

7 . to debate the following item, contrary to what was proposed in the draft agenda: 7.2 Letter dated 26 October 2000 from Mr QUIROGA inviting the European Parliament to send a delegation to the Fourth Transatlantic Interparliamentary Conference on Drug Control, to be held from 21 to 23 February 2001 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia,. to enter the following item under Item 8 Urgent matters and any other business : 8.1 Proposal concerning the composition of the Temporary Committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine and to take it without debate; - adopted the draft agenda, with these changes. PE /BUR. 8 PV\ doc

8 2. Approval of minutes of meetings of 5 and 19 October and of 14 November 2000 The Conference of Presidents - noted the minutes of the meetings of 5 October (PE /BUR.), of 19 October (PE /BUR.) and of 14 November 2000 (PE /BUR.); - approved the minutes of those meetings. PV\ doc 9 PE /BUR.

9 3. Adoption of the final draft agenda for the December 2000 part-session (Monday, 11 to Friday, 14 December) The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: the final draft agenda for the December 2000 part-session, a letter dated 1 December 2000 from Mr DELL ALBA, Chairman of the TDI Group, seeking entry on the agenda of the FERBER report on postal services (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 4 December 2000 from Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, proposing the entry on the agenda of a statement by the Commission on the EU-USA Summit (PE /BUR.); - considered, on an item-by-item basis, the final draft agenda for the December 2000 part-session on the basis of a note drawn up by the Directorate-General for the Presidency, following a meeting with the secretaries-general of the political groups held on 7 December 2000, and adopted the proposals set out in that note, with the following changes: MONDAY - noted that, during the debate on the MAAT report on tobacco products, the European Commission would also address the issue of the legal basis of the proposal for a directive concerned; WEDNESDAY - decided, following a vote, to retain on the agenda the FERBER report on competition between postal services; PE /BUR. 10 PV\ doc

10 - decided, following a vote, to retain on the agenda the ROO report on the assessment and management of environmental noise; THURSDAY - decided, pursuant to Rule 50 of the Rules of Procedure, to add to the list of topics to be debated during the debate on topical and urgent subjects of major importance, the following topics under Item 3: Human Rights :. situation of Turkish prisoners on hunger strike. visa problems between Russia and Georgia. PV\ doc 11 PE /BUR.

11 4. Statements by the President PV CP Disputes as to powers and responsibilities between parliamentary committees Constitution of a working party consisting of three Vice-Presidents Letter dated 29 November 2000 from Mr IMBI The Conference of Presidents - noted a statement by the acting President who said that, further to the proposal which the President had submitted at the meeting of the Conference of Presidents of 16 November 2000, she had set up a Working Party on Disputes as to Powers and Responsibilities consisting of three Vice-Presidents (Mr IMBI, Mr VIDAL- QUADRAS ROCA and Mr WIEBGA) with a remit to submit, in cooperation with the Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, detailed proposals aimed at resolving disputes as to powers and responsibilities between parliamentary committees; - noted a letter dated 29 November 2000 from Mr IMBI concerning the dispute as to powers and responsibilities between the Committee on Industry and the Committee on Culture with regard to the proposal for a Council decision on what is known as e-content (PE /BUR.) and a letter from the President to Mr WESTDORP Y CABEZA and to Mr GARGANI, chairmen of the committees concerned (PE /BUR.); - decided, in accordance with the recommendation of the Working Party on Disputes as to Powers and Responsibilities, to refer the proposal for a Council decision on the adoption of a Multiannual Community programme to stimulate the development and use of European digital content on the global networks and to promote linguistic diversity in the Information Society (also known as the e-content proposal) to the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy as the committee responsible, with the enhanced Hughes procedure being applied for the benefit of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport. PE /BUR. 12 PV\ doc

12 5. Possibly, exchange of views on the progress of the negotiations for a draft agreement with the Council concerning access by the European Parliament to classified information of the Council in the field of security and defence policy [It was decided to hold this item over to a forthcoming meeting]. 6. Exchange of views on the new proposals on COSAC activities following the XXIIIrd COSAC meeting held in Versailles on 16 and 17 October 2000 [It was decided to hold this item over to a forthcoming meeting]. PV\ doc 13 PE /BUR.

13 7. Proposals for decisions without debate PV CP Setting up of an ad hoc high-level group instructed to propose a replacement for Mr DA CUNHA as a member of the OLAF Supervisory Committee The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the following documents: a letter dated 31 August 2000 to the President from Mrs DELMAS-MARTY, Chairman of the OLAF Supervisory Committee (PE /BUR.), a note dated 26 September 2000 to the President from the Secretary-General (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 20 October 2000 to the President from Mrs SCHREYER, Member of the European Commission (PE /BUR.), a copy of the decision of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 19 July 1999 appointing the members of the Supervisory Committee of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) (OJ C 220, , pp. 1-2); - approved the setting up of an ad hoc high-level group, consisting of representatives of the European Parliament, the Council and Commission, with a remit to nominate the member of the OLAF Supervisory Committee to replace Mr DA CUNHA RODRIGUES; - appointed as the European Parliament s representatives on that ad hoc group the members of the bureau of the Committee on Budgetary Control (i.e. Mrs THEATO, Chairman, Mr BLAK, Mr BÖSCH and Mrs van der LAAN, Vice-Chairmen); - asked the European Parliament s representatives to submit to it the proposal to be made by that group so that it might be approved by the Conference of Presidents before being notified to the Commission and the Council. PE /BUR. 14 PV\ doc

14 7.2 Letter dated 26 October 2000 from Mr QUIROGA inviting the European Parliament to send a delegation to the Fourth Transatlantic Interparliamentary Conference on Drug Control, to be held from 21 to 23 February 2001 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia The Conference of Presidents - noted the letter to the President dated 26 October 2000 referred to above (PE /BUR.); - heard a statement by Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PSE Group, who emphasised the political sensitivity of the Fourth Transatlantic Interparliamentary Conference. The European Union and the United States constituted the major markets for drug supply and consumption. Efforts had been made in Bolivia to eradicate the cultivation of drugs. Accordingly, he supported European Parliament participation at that Conference; - heard a statement by Mr DELL ALBA, Chairman of the TDI Group, who supported Mr BARÓN CRESPO S stance and took the view that the delegation to be appointed should reflect the twin positions on drugs policy within the European Parliament; - approved the constitution of an ad hoc delegation to attend the Conference. It would consist of one of the Vice-Presidents responsible for multilateral interparliamentary relations and three members of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs, to be appointed by the political groups in accordance with the rolling d Hondt system. PV\ doc 15 PE /BUR.

15 8. Urgent matter and other business PV CP Proposal concerning the composition of the Temporary Committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine The Conference of Presidents, taking a decision without debate, - noted the following documents: a draft decision on the constitution of the Temporary Committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 29 November 2000 from Mr BEHRD concerning the allocation of seats on the Temporary Committee on human genetics (PE /BUR./Ann.1), a proposal from the political groups dated 7 December 2000 concerning the composition of the said temporary committee (PE /BUR./Ann.2); - decided to approve. the draft decision on the constitution of the Temporary Committee on human genetics and other new technologies in modern medicine, and. the proposal concerning the composition of that temporary committee and to submit those proposals, for approval, to the House, pursuant to Rules 150(2) and 152(1) of the Rules of Procedure. PE /BUR. 16 PV\ doc

16 9. Items for information PV CP The Conference of Presidents - noted the following documents: a letter dated 6 November 2000 from Mr CHIRAC, President of the French Republic, concerning the solemn proclamation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 26 October 2000 from Mr MIRANDA, Chairman of the Committee on Development and Cooperation, forwarding a report on his visit to Bangladesh, setting out a request that the European Parliament participate in the European Union delegation being sent to observe the parliamentary elections in that country and seeking the entry of an oral question to the Commission and Council on the agenda for the January 2001 part-session (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 8 November 2000 from Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, on the setting up of a European Security and Defence Assembly (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 9 November 2000 from Mr GARCÍA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL on his attendance at the ceremony to inaugurate the new Bureau of the Central American Parliament (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 8 November 2000 from Mr di MURO, Director at the Economic and Social Committee, forwarding a list of the members of the Bureau and of the various sections of the Economic and Social Committee (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 15 November 2000 from Mr HALLER, Secretary-General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, forwarding the dates of the Asssembly s part-sessions for the period (PE /BUR.), PV\ doc 17 PE /BUR.

17 PV CP a letter dated 9 November 2000 from Mr KELAM, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, forwarding a declaration by the Chairmen of the Parliamentary Committees on European Affairs of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia (PE /BUR.), a note dated 5 December 2000 from Mr GARZÓN CLARIANA, Jurisconsult, on Case T-236/00R, Stauner and others v Parliament and the Commission (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 6 December 2000 from Mr LICANDRO, Deputy Secretary- General of the PPE-DE Group, proposing the appointment of Mrs Christine de VEYRAC to serve on the Delegation for relations with Canada in place of Mr Joseph DAUL (PE /BUR.). PE /BUR. 18 PV\ doc

18 10. Date and place of next meeting PV CP The Conference of Presidents - decided to hold its next meeting at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 14 December 2000 in Strasbourg; - decided to hold, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 12 December 2000, an extraordinary meeting of the Conference of Presidents, which the members of the Contact Group on the Statute for Members would also be invited to attend, with a view to a meeting with the Council Presidency, represented by Mr MOSCOVICI, French Minister for European Affairs. * * * The meeting closed at 4.05 p.m. on Thursday, 7 December * * * PV\ doc 19 PE /BUR.