CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS. MINUTES of the meetings of. Thursday, 6 June 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 Thursday, 6 June 2002 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Paul-Henri Spaak Building Room 6 B 01 BRUSSELS and Thursday, 13 June 2002 from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Louise Weiss Building Room R1,1 STRASBOURG PART TWO 13 June 2002 (3 p.m p.m.) PV\ doc 1 PE /BUR.

2 C O N T E N T S Page 1. Adoption of draft agenda Adoption of the preliminary draft agenda for the July 2002 part-session (Monday, 1 to Thursday, 4 July) Statements by the President 3.1 Meeting with the Danish Presidency in Copenhagen on 24 June invitation from the Danish Prime Minister, Mr Anders FOGH RASMUSS Launching of the procedure for the appointment of the European Ombudsman Meeting on enlargement (18/20 November 2002 in Strasbourg) Meeting of the President with the Speakers of national parliaments in Madrid (7/9 June 2002) Cancellation of extraordinary meetings of the Conference of Presidents scheduled for 26 June and 4 July Letter dated 3 June 2002 from Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, on the sending of a high-level delegation to the Middle East PV\ doc 2 PE /BUR.

3 4. Measures relating to sensitive documents 4.1 Letter dated 22 May 2002 from Mr CONDE, President of COREPER, forwarding a draft interinstitutional agreement on Parliament access to sensitive Council documents in the field of security and defence policy in the presence of the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy Note dated 8 May 2002 from the Secretary-General on the preliminary draft decision of Parliament for the adoption of measures relating to the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament Revised option A a. Preparations for the Euro-Mediterranean Forum to be held on 17 and 18 June 2002 in Bari - appointment of two co-chairmen to represent Parliament on the working parties - proposal that the Forum be converted into a Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly 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 Request from Mr WATSON, Chairman of the ELDR Group, concerning the status of MEPs serving on European Union delegations at international conferences - Letters from Mr WYNN and Mr MIRANDA and from Mrs JACKSON Letter dated 12 March 2002 from Mrs RANDZIO-PLATH, Chairman of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, seeking the appointment of two experts to serve on the monitoring committee instructed to assess progress on financial issues PV\ doc 3 PE /BUR.

4 8. Proposals for decisions without debate 8.1 Letter dated 15 April 2002 from Mrs MDIZABAL asking Parliament to appoint four women MEPs to serve on the Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Women Parliamentarians, to be held on 17 and 18 October 2002 in Madrid Letter dated 11 April 2002 from Mr COLLINS seeking authorisation for the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South Africa to visit South Africa in Dispute as to the powers and responsibilities assigned to the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on the Environment concerning the proposal for a directive on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage proposal from the Working Party on Disputes as to Powers and Responsibilities Letter dated 29 May 2002 from Mrs THEATO, Chairman of the Committee on Budgetary Control, to Mr COX, President, on the designation of Parliament's representatives to the high-level ad hoc group making preparations for the appointment of five new members of the OLAF Supervisory Committee Urgent matters and other business 9.1 Note dated 5 June 2002 from the Secretary General on joint activities of the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during the second September 2002 part session Setting of the deadline for tabling questions for Question Time at the first September 2002 part-session PV\ doc 4 PE /BUR.

5 9.3 Meeting of the PES Group on 30 and 31 August 2002 in Birmingham Items for information Date and place of next meeting PV\ doc 5 PE /BUR.

6 CONFERCE OF PRESIDTS MINUTES of the meeting of Thursday, 13 June 2002 STRASBOURG Mr Pat COX, President of the European Parliament, opened the meeting at 3.03 p.m. Present: Mr Pat COX, President replaced by Mr ONESTA, Vice-President, from 4.45 p.m. Political group chairmen Mr PÖTTERING (PPE-DE) Mr BARÓN CRESPO (PSE) Mrs MALMSTRÖM (acting) (ELDR) Mrs FRASSONI (Verts/ALE) Mr WURTZ (GUE/NGL) Mr COLLINS (acting) and Mr QUEIRÓ (acting) (U) Mr BLOKLAND (acting) (EDD) PV\ doc 6 PE /BUR.

7 Non-attached Members 1 Mrs GARAUD Also present: Mr PRIESTLEY, Secretary-General Invited for Item 2: Mr DAUL, replacing Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen Invited for Item 3: Mr TITLEY Chairman of the Conference of Delegation Chairmen Invited for Item 4: Mr BROK Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy Mrs CEDERSCHIÖLD Vice-President responsible for transparency and access to documents Invited for Item 8.3: Mr ONESTA Vice-President, member of the 'Working Party on Disputes as to Powers and Responsibilities' Mr DAUL, replacing Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen 1 Present pursuant to Rule 23(2) of Parliament s Rules of Procedure. PV\ doc 7 PE /BUR.

8 The Council represented by Mr WALL Mr NEMOZ-HERVS The Commission represented by Mr MASSANGIOLI Mr BROGGI The Economic and Social Committee represented by Mr de OLIVEIRA * * * Office of the President Mr Mr Mr Mr JS RIBERA D'ALCALÀ DUNNE SUAREZ MELLA Office of the Secretary-General Mr Mr STRATIGAKIS AGUIRIANO NALDA PV\ doc 8 PE /BUR.

9 Secretariat DG I Mr RØMER/Mrs F. RATTI/Mr PORTA FRIGERI 1 Mrs STSBALLE 1 /Mr GUILL ZANON 2 /Mr DREXLER DG II Mr NICKEL/Mr PERILLO 1 /Mr DUCCI 1 /Mr REICH 2 DG III Mr ROLVERING/Mr HARLEY/Mr DUCH GUILLOT 1 DG VIII Mr VANHAER Legal Service Mr GARZÓN CLARIANA/Mr PNERA Political groups Mr WELLE/Mr PEDERS/Mr LICANDRO/ Mr RYNGAERT Mrs VERGER/Mrs RYAN/Mr HILLER/ Mr BEELS Mrs TSETSI/Mr BEHRD/Mr FERGUSSON Mrs D'ALIMONTE Mr BARRETT/Mr PRETA Mrs VANGRUNDERBEECK/Mr BOYD Mr BUGALHO/Mrs O. RATTI (PPE-DE) (PSE) (ELDR) (Verts/ALE) (GUE/NGL) (U) (EDD) (NI) Mr KYST, Mr CALINOGLOU and Mr HUBER acted as secretary to the meeting. 1 Present for Item 3. 2 Present for Item 4. PV\ doc 9 PE /BUR.

10 1. Adoption of draft agenda - noted the draft agenda (PE /BUR./REV); - adopted the agenda as shown in theses minutes. PV\ doc 10 PE /BUR.

11 2. Adoption of the preliminary draft agenda for the July 2002 part-session (Monday, 1 to Thursday, 4 July) - noted the following documents : the preliminary draft agenda for the July 2002 part-session (Monday, 1 to Thursday, 4 July); a letter of 12 June 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, forwarding the recommendations of the Conference of Committee Chairmen for forthcoming part-sessions (PE /BUR.); a note of 13 June 2002 from Mr RØMER, Deputy Secretary-General, on the scheduling of business at the part-sessions between September and October 2002 (PE /BUR.); a table drawn up by the Directorate-General for the Presidency giving details of the oral questions outstanding; - considered, on an item-by-item basis, the preliminary draft agenda for the July 2002 partsession (Monday 1 to Thursday 4 July) and adopted it, with the following changes: Wednesday 3 - decided : to add a statement by the Commission and Council on the FAO Summit in Rome and the European Union's position on world hunger, that part of the debate on the programme of activities of the Danish Presidency would be organised on a 'catch-the-eye' basis. PV\ doc 11 PE /BUR.

12 3. Statements by the President 3.1 Meeting with the Danish Presidency in Copenhagen on 24 June invitation from the Danish Prime Minister, Mr Anders FOGH RASMUSS - noted the invitation extended by the Danish Prime Minister to the political group chairmen to meet in Copenhagen on 24 June 2002, in order to discuss priorities of the Danish Presidency and other issues of common interest (PE /BUR.). PV\ doc 12 PE /BUR.

13 3.2 Launching of the procedure for the appointment of the European Ombudsman - noted a letter dated 12 June 2002 from Mr GEMELLI, Chairman of the Committee on Petitions, concerning the election of a new Ombudsman in light of Mr SÖDERMAN s intention to resign his post on 1 April 2003 (PE /BUR.); - decided to initiate the procedure for the appointment of the new Ombudsman in September 2002 and instructed the relevant services to take the steps required to ensure compliance with the likely schedule for the appointment of the Ombudsman. PV\ doc 13 PE /BUR.

14 3.3 Meeting on enlargement (18/20 November 2002 in Strasbourg) - noted the note from Mr COX, President, on the above-mentioned meeting (PE /BUR.); - heard the President who provided information on the meeting in question; - heard Mr PÖTTERING, Chairman of the EPP-ED Group, who supported the idea of inviting Turkish MPs but added that Turkey s status (compared to the other applicant countries, with which accession negotiations were already under way) should be reflected in an appropriate manner. In this respect, he recalled that Turkey was represented in the Convention on the Future of the European Union; - heard Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PES Group, who said that the meeting should focus on the political dimension of the enlargement process and its importance to the citizen and to democracy. With regard to the participation of Turkish MPs, there should be a distinction in treatment because of Turkey s different status. He suggested that account should be taken of the Turkish representation in the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee; - heard Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who, on the question of Turkish participation at the meeting, supported the views expressed by Mr PÖTTERING and Mr BARÓN CRESPO. He added that a small Turkish delegation should be given observer status and be admitted only in the gallery and not in the Chamber. Furthermore, he put forward a suggestion regarding the allocation of speaking time during the debate on enlargement open to Parliamentarians from the applicant countries, so that each national delegation from whatever political group might have an opportunity to speak; - heard Mrs MALMSTRÖM, acting Chairman of the ELDR Group, who supported Mr BARÓN CRESPO s suggestion concerning Turkish participation in the meeting, PV\ doc 14 PE /BUR.

15 - heard Mrs FRASSONI, Co-Chairman of the Greens/EFA Group, who also supported the suggestion set out above as well as the proposal that Turkish MPs be given observer status ; - heard Mrs GARAUD, non-attached Member, who said that, from the political point of view, the question of Turkish participation was a delicate one. She doubted whether some kind of special treatment for Turkish MPs at the meeting on enlargement would be tenable in the long run; - heard Mr TITLEY, Chairman of the Conference of Delegation Chairmen, who conveyed his colleagues wish that a role should be given to the joint parliamentary committees within the structure of the meeting. He agreed that the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, which comprised twelve Turkish MPs, could provide the ideal solution to the problem of Turkish participation; - heard Mr BLOKLAND, Co-Chairman of the EDD Group, who, as regards Turkey, shared the views expressed by Mrs GARAUD and Mr PÖTTERING; - heard Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, who, at the invitation of the President, confirmed that, in a number of resolutions, Parliament had disagreed with the number of MPs from some applicant countries envisaged in the Treaty of Nice and shared the President s view that this element should be taken into account; - decided to authorise the President to invite the Speakers of the parliaments of the applicant countries to nominate their representatives for this meeting. Each applicant country would be invited to nominate their prospective numbers in accordance with the Treaty of Nice, taking into account the resolutions of the European Parliament with regard to the Czech Republic (+2), Hungary (+2) and Malta (+1); - decided to pursue its discussion on certain questions at a subsequent meeting. PV\ doc 15 PE /BUR.

16 3.4 Meeting of the President with the Speakers of national parliaments in Madrid (7/9 June 2002) - noted the information provided by the President on his meeting with the Speakers of the national parliaments (at which Speakers of the parliaments of the applicant countries also participated) and, in particular, the fact that the conclusions of the meeting welcomed the European Parliament s willingness to facilitate cooperation with national parliaments; PV\ doc 16 PE /BUR.

17 3.5 Cancellation of extraordinary meetings of the Conference of Presidents scheduled for 26 June and 4 July heard the President, who stated that : because of ill health, Mr ABU ALA, President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was unable to attend the meeting of the Conference of Presidents originally scheduled for 26 June 2002, and that Mr GISCARD D ESTAING, President of the Convention on the Future of the European Union, could not attend the meeting of the Conference of Presidents originally scheduled for 4 July However, he might be available to attend the meeting on 26 June 2002; - heard Mr PÖTTERING, Chairman of the EPP-ED Group, Mrs MALMSTRÖM, acting Chairman of the ELDR Group, and Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, indicating that they, too, were unable to be present on 26 June 2002; - decided to cancel the extraordinary meetings envisaged for 26 June and 4 July 2002 and asked the President to contact Mr GISCARD D ESTAING with the view of finding another,mutually convenient, date for a meeting. PV\ doc 17 PE /BUR.

18 3.6 Letter of 3 June 2002 from Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, on the sending of a high-level delegation to the Middle East - noted the letter referred to above. (PE /BUR.); - noted the initiative taken by the President to consult the political group chairmen with a view to securing agreement on the composition and programme of the delegation to visit the Middle East during the autumn of 2002 (PE /BUR./Annex); - heard Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PES Group, Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, and Mrs FRASSONI, Co-Chairman of the Greens/EFAGroup, who spoke on various aspects of the proposed visit to the Middle East. PV\ doc 18 PE /BUR.

19 4. Measures relating to sensitive documents 4.1 Letter dated 22 May 2002 from Mr CONDE, President of COREPER, forwarding a draft interinstitutional agreement on Parliament access to sensitive Council documents in the field of security and defence policy in the presence of the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy 4.2 Note dated 8 May 2002 from the Secretary-General on the preliminary draft decision of Parliament for the adoption of measures relating to the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament Revised option A - noted the following documents : the letter referred to above (PE /BUR. and Annex); the note referred to above (PE /BUR./REV); a letter dated 12 June 2002 from the Council Presidency on the outcome of the COREPER meeting which took place the same day and the changes made to the draft interinstitutional agreement (PE /BUR.); a letter of 4 June 2002 from Mr COHN-BDIT and Mrs FRASSONI, Co-Chairmen of the Greens/EFA Group, Mr WATSON, Chairman of ELDR Group and Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, on a number of procedural and substantive points concerning the draft agreement in question (PE /BUR.); - heard the President who summarised the discussion held by the Conference of Presidents the previous day in the presence of the President-in-Office of the Council, Mr PIQUÉ; - heard Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, who reported on his contacts with the Council Presidency. The Council had met all the demands made by Parliament, and he therefore recommended PV\ doc 19 PE /BUR.

20 approval of the revised draft interinstitutional agreement. Following a question from the President, he confirmed that the agreement on access to documents related to the second pillar set no precedent for any agreement concerning the third pillar; - heard Mrs CEDERSCHIÖLD, Vice-President responsible for transparency and access to documents, who welcomed the changes made by Council, although she still had some legal reservations relating to the institutional balance between Parliament and Council. She made it clear that her endorsement was basically of a political nature. Second-pillar documents had to remain secret, and Parliament had to comply with access standards set by international organisations, most notably NATO. On the other hand, an agreement on Parliament s access to third-pillar documents should fully guarantee Parliament s rights. Finally, she supported very stringent rules concerning the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament; - heard Mr PÖTTERING, Chairman of the EPP-ED Group, who : supported the draft interinstitutional agreement as modified by COREPER; said that the agreement concerning Parliament s access to second-pillar documents should not set a precedent for a future agreement relating to third-pillar documents and thanked Mr BROK, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy and the services concerned for their contributions; - heard Mrs GARAUD, non-attached Member, who referred to Article 10 of the draft agreement and raised the question of legal proceedings to be instituted against a Member who had leaked information. She wanted to know which would be the relevant legislation in force and whether the Member s immunity would be waived and at whose request; - heard Mrs MALMSTRÖM, acting Chairman of the ELDR Group, who reiterated her Group s opposition to the draft agreement; PV\ doc 20 PE /BUR.

21 - heard Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PES Group who: said that, following the changes made by COREPER to Article 3(3), the draft agreement was now acceptable, referring to Mrs GARAUD s questions, pointed out that, at present, there was no European Criminal Code, so national legislation would apply. In addition, in its internal rules, Parliament could determine the disciplinary measures to be taken, should a Member fail his / her duties under the agreement, reiterated his observations, made at previous meetings, on the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament; thanked all Parliament officials for the work done in this matter; - heard Mrs FRASSONI, Co-Chairman of the Greens/EFA Group, who confirmed her Group s opposition to the draft agreement and asked Mrs CEDERSCHIÖLD to be more explicit as regards her observations; - heard Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who considered the draft agreement acceptable, although some members of his Group were not satisfied with certain aspects of it. He suggested that the text in question be referred to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs with a view to its submission in plenary; - heard Mr BLOKLAND, Co-Chairman of the EDD Group, who thanked all the Parliament officials involved for their work. He considered the outcome of the negotiations between Parliament and Council quite positive but nevertheless reiterated his Group s opposition for reasons of principle; - heard Mr QUEIRÓ, acting Chairman of the U Group, who stated that his Group approved the draft agreement; PV\ doc 21 PE /BUR.

22 - heard Mrs CEDERSCHIÖLD, Vice-President responsible for transparency and access to documents, who, in response to Mrs FRASSONI, emphasised that, under present circumstances, the draft agreement represented the best political option; - heard Mr RØMER, Deputy Secretary-General, who, in response to Mrs GARAUD s questions, pointed out that, there were, as yet, no European provisions for vetting Members of the European Parliament. Consequently, the vetting procedure mentioned in the draft decision for the adoption of measures relating to the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament was governed by the law of the Member State concerned. Should such a procedure be instituted, normal rules on waiver of immunity would apply; - heard Mrs GARAUD, non-attached Member, who saw a risk of conflict of jurisdictions. In the event of a leak, it would be difficult to establish its location and, hence, the applicable national legislation; - heard the President who summarised the debate and said that he would inform the European Council in Seville of the fact that, in general terms, the Conference of Presidents had adopted a positive attitude towards the draft agreement. That agreement would now have to be submitted to plenary for adoption; - approved the draft interinstitutional agreement, as adopted by COREPER, and decided that it should be forwarded to the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, in accordance with the new provisions laid down in Parliament's Rules of Procedure, prior to its submission to plenary; - confirmed that the revised Option A of the preliminary draft decision of Parliament for the adoption of measures relating to the protection of sensitive documents within Parliament should be submitted to the Bureau prior to its submission to plenary. PV\ doc 22 PE /BUR.

23 4a. Preparations for the Euro-Mediterranean Forum to be held on 17 and 18 June 2002 in Bari - appointment of two co-chairmen to represent Parliament on the working parties - proposal that the Forum be converted into a Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly - noted the following documents : a letter dated 23 April 2002 from Mr COLOM I NAVAL declaring his readiness to assume the co-chairmanship of the Working Party on Immigration (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 6 May 2002 from Mr IMBI, Mr DIMITRAKOPOULOS and Mr COLOM I NAVAL proposing that they be appointed Co-chairmen of the working parties on the rules of procedure of the Forum, on the action taken on the conclusions of the last Forum and on immigration respectively (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 6 May 2002 from Mr PÖTTERING proposing that Mr HERNÁNDEZ MOLLAR be appointed Co-chairman of the Working Party on Immigration (PE /BUR.), a letter dated 29 May 2002 signed jointly by Mr M. PERA, President of the Italian Senate, and Mr P.F. CASINI, President of the Italian House of Representatives, on the 4th meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum in Bari (PE /BUR.); - noted the items entered on the agenda of the Euro-Mediterranean Forum to be held on 17 and 18 June 2002 in Bari; - heard, at the request of the acting President,, Mr ONESTA, the Secretary-General, who referred to the appointment of two co-chairmen to represent the European Parliament on the working parties set up by the Forum; PV\ doc 23 PE /BUR.

24 - heard Mr PÖTTERING, Chairman of the EPP-ED Group, who proposed that Mr HERNÁNDEZ MOLLAR be appointed as Co-chairman of the Working Party on Immigration; - heard Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PES Group, and Mrs FRASSONI, Co- Chairman of the Greens/EFA Group, who took the view that, as a matter of principle, Parliament should appoint only its Vice-Presidents to posts such as working party cochairmen; - appointed Mr HERNÁNDEZ MOLLAR and Mr COLOM I NAVAL as Co-chairmen respectively of the Working Party on Immigration and of the Working Party on the action taken on the conclusions of the last Forum; - decided to give due consideration to the proposal from the Italian Parliament that the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum be converted into a permanent Parliamentary Assembly and to adopt its definitive position on this proposal at a subsequent meeting. PV\ doc 24 PE /BUR.

25 5. 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 withdrawn from the agenda. PV\ doc 25 PE /BUR.

26 6. Request from Mr WATSON, Chairman of the ELDR Group, concerning the status of MEPs serving on European Union delegations at international conferences - Letters from Mr WYNN and Mr MIRANDA and from Mrs JACKSON - noted the following documents: a letter dated 15 May 2002 from Mr WYNN, Chairman of the Committee on Budgets, and Mr MIRANDA, Chairman of the Committee on Development and Cooperation, to Mr COX, President, complaining about some of the circumstances relating to the participation of the MEPs who served on the EU delegation to the International Conference for the Financing of Development, which was held from 18 to 22 March 2002 in Monterrey, Mexico (PE /BUR. and Annex), a letter dated 5 June 2002 from Mrs JACKSON, Chairman of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, to Mr COX, President, on: the size of the EP delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (to be held from 26 August to 4 September 2002, in Johannesburg, South Africa), MEPs' exclusion from coordination meetings of EU delegations to international conferences (PE /BUR.), a letter of 7 June 2002 from Mr CONDE DE SARO, President-in-Office of COREPER, relating to the size of the EP delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (PE /BUR.); a list concerning participation of MEPs in EU delegations to international conferences between 1999 and 2002 (PE /BUR.); PV\ doc 26 PE /BUR.

27 - asked the President to write to Mr PRODI, President of the European Commission, and to the President-in-Office of the Council with the view of ensuring improved integration of MEPs in EU delegations to international conferences, including participation of MEPs in the internal coordination meetings; - decided to review this issue at a future meeting; - decided to ask the President-in-Office of the Council and the President of the European Commission to reconsider Parliament's request, set out in Parliament s resolution of 28 February 2002 and confirmed by the Conference of Presidents on 11 April 2002, that up to 25 MEPs be included in the EU delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. PV\ doc 27 PE /BUR.

28 7. Letter dated 12 March 2002 from Mrs RANDZIO-PLATH, Chairman of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, seeking the appointment of two experts to serve on the monitoring committee instructed to assess progress on financial issues - noted the letter referred to above (PE /BUR.); - invited the secretaries-general of the political groups to begin consultations with a view to the Conference selecting, at its next meeting, two nominees for appointment to the monitoring committee from among the candidates proposed; - decided to seek opinions from the Committee on Budgets on the proposed ad hoc budget for the monitoring committee and from the Legal Service on the independent nature of the monitoring committee s secretariat. PV\ doc 28 PE /BUR.

29 8. Proposals for decisions without debate 8.1 Letter dated 15 April 2002 from Mrs MDIZABAL asking Parliament to appoint four women MEPs to serve on the Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Women Parliamentarians, to be held on 17 and 18 October 2002 in Madrid - noted the letter referred to above (PE /BUR.); - decided, without debate, to appoint, on the basis of the rolling d'hondt system, four Members of the European Parliament from the members of the Committee on Women's Rights to attend the meeting of the third Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Women Parliamentarians, to be held on 17 and 18 October 2002, in the Spanish Senate Building in Madrid. PV\ doc 29 PE /BUR.

30 8.2 Letter dated 11 April 2002 from Mr COLLINS seeking authorisation for the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South Africa to visit South Africa in noted the letter referred to above (PE /BUR.); - authorised, without debate, by way of derogation from the existing rules, the Bureau of the Delegation for relations with South Africa to travel to South Africa during PV\ doc 30 PE /BUR.

31 8.3 Dispute as to the powers and responsibilities assigned to the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on the Environment concerning the proposal for a directive on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage proposal from the 'Working Party on Disputes as to Powers and Responsibilities' - noted the following documents : - a letter dated 16 May 2002 from Mr IMBI, Vice-President, to Mr COX, President, forwarding the opinion of the 'Working Party on Disputes as to Powers and Responsibilities' on the dispute referred to above (PE /BUR./REP3), - a letter dated 16 May 2002 from Mr GARGANI, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market, to Mr COX, President, on the same dispute (PE /BUR.), - a letter dated 10 June 2002 from Mrs FRASSONI, Co-Chairman of the Greens/EFA Group, to Mr COX, President, on the same matter (PE /BUR.), - heard the President who reviewed the dispute over powers and responsibilities in question from its beginning to the present stage; - heard Mr ONESTA, Vice-President and member of the working party, who gave the assessment of the working party, emphasised that its recommendation was reached unanimously, and suggested that the 'enhanced Hughes' procedure be implemented between the Committee on the Environment to be nominated as committee responsible and the Committee on Legal Affairs; PV\ doc 31 PE /BUR.

32 - heard the President who said that whichever committee was not named as the committee responsible should benefit from the 'enhanced Hughes' procedure by way of compensation; - heard Mr DAUL, acting Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, who said that the analysis made by Mr ONESTA was a good one, emphasised, however, that it was not up to him to adopt a position at this late stage of the dispute, and supported the President s suggestion that the 'enhanced Hughes' procedure be applied; - heard Mr PÖTTERING, Chairman of the EPP-ED Group, who supported referral of the Commission proposal to the Committee on Legal Affairs as the committee responsible, with the Committee on the Environment being asked for its opinion and the application of the 'enhanced Hughes' procedure; - heard Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PES Group, who supported the proposal made by Mr ONESTA, said that the Committee on Legal Affairs should deliver an opinion on all matters that Parliament had to deal with and that this provision should be clearly laid down for the next parliamentary term; - heard Mrs FRASSONI, Co-Chairman of the Greens/EFA Group, and Mr WURTZ, Chairman of the GUE/NGL Group, who supported Mr ONESTA s proposal and said that the Conference of Presidents should not take a line different from the three Vice-Presidents who constituted the Working Party on Disputes; - heard Mr QUEIRÓ, acting Chairman of the U Group, who supported Mr PÖTTERING s point of view; PV\ doc 32 PE /BUR.

33 - heard Mr BLOKLAND, Co-Chairman of the EDD Group, who supported Mr ONESTA s proposal and said that, as a matter of principle, the recommendations of the Working Party on Disputes should be adopted by the Conference of Presidents, unless there were sound reasons for not doing so, which was not the present case; - heard Mrs MALMSTRÖM, acting Chairman of the ELDR Group, and Mrs GARAUD, non-attached Member, who shared the view expressed by Mr PÖTTERING; - heard Mrs FRASSONI, Co-Chairman of the Greens/EFA Group, who proposed the appointment of two co-rapporteurs, one from each of the committees involved; - heard the acting President who replied that such a possibility was precluded by Rule 154(3) of the Rules of Procedure. Co-rapporteurs could be appointed only on condition that they were members of the same committee; - decided, after a vote, that : - the proposal for a directive under consideration should be referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs as the committee responsible, in view of its powers and responsibilities; - the 'enhanced Hughes' procedure should be applied to the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on the Environment; - the referral of the proposal to the Committee on Economic Affairs and the Committee on Petitions for their opinions should be confirmed. PV\ doc 33 PE /BUR.

34 8.4 Letter dated 29 May 2002 from Mrs THEATO, Chairman of the Committee on Budgetary Control, to Mr COX, President, on the designation of Parliament's representatives to the high-level ad hoc group making preparations for the appointment of five new members of the OLAF Supervisory Committee - noted the letter referred to above (PE /BUR.); - appointed without debate, the Bureau of the Committee on Budgetary Control as Parliament's high-level representatives to the ad hoc group; - invited Parliament's representatives to submit any proposals made by the ad hoc group to the Conference of Presidents with a view to their approval and subsequent forwarding to the Commission and Council. PV\ doc 34 PE /BUR.

35 9. Urgent matters and other business 9.1 Note dated 5 June 2002 from the Secretary General on joint activities of the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during the second September 2002 partsession. - noted the note referred to above (PE /BUR.); - agreed, without debate, to hold a joint meeting of the relevant committees of the two parliamentary bodies on the margin of their respective sessions, possibly on the evening of Tuesday, 24 September 2002, on the general theme of the development of Europe as an area of freedom, security and justice, in line with the details set out in the Secretary-General's note. PV\ doc 35 PE /BUR.

36 9.2 Setting of the deadline for tabling questions for Question Time at the first September 2002 partsession - noted a note dated 10 June 2002 from Mr RØMER, Deputy Secretary-General, to Mr COX, President, and a letter dated 31 May 2002 from Mr PIRIS, Director General in the Council's Legal Service, to Mr RØMER, Deputy Secretary-General, on the matter referred to above (PE /BUR.); - decided, without debate, to set 1 p.m. on Friday, 19 July 2002 as the deadline for the tabling of questions for Question Time at the first September 2002 part-session. PV\ doc 36 PE /BUR.

37 9.3 Meeting of the PES Group on 30 and 31 August 2002, in Birmingham - noted a letter dated 12 June 2002 from Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PES Group (PE /BUR.); - authorised, in accordance with the Rules governing group meetings, the PES Group to meet in Birmingham on August 2002 and to be provided with the usual facilities. PV\ doc 37 PE /BUR.

38 10. Items for information noted the following documents: a letter of 7 June 2002 from Mr BARÓN CRESPO, Chairman of the PES Group, to Mr COX, President, on Mr V. LAVARRA's participation at the meeting of the Euro- Mediterranean Parliamentary Forum (17 to 18 June 2002, Bari) replacing M. R.OBIOLS I GERMÀ (PE /BUR.); a letter of 4 June 2002 from Mr WYNN, MEP, transmitting the report of Parliament's delegation to the International Conference on Financing for Development, which took place in Monterrey, Mexico, from 18 to 22 March 2002 (PE /BUR.); a letter of 31 May 2002 from Mrs JS, Mrs HAUTALA, Mrs CERDEIRA MORTERERO, Mrs DÜHRKOP DÜHRKOP and Mr KHANBHAI, who represented Parliament at the International Conference on Financing for Development, on improving coordination between the Parliaments of the European Union in view of international conferences (PE /BUR.). ANNEX 1 a letter of 12 June 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, to Mr COX, President, concerning requests for drawing-up own-initiative reports (INI) (PE /BUR.); PV\ doc 38 PE /BUR.

39 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 12 June 2002 from Mrs PALACIO VALLELERSUNDI, Chairman of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, to Mr COX, President, concerning requests for drawing-up reports based on documents transmitted by the Commission 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. PV\ doc 39 PE /BUR.

40 11. Date and place of next meeting - decided to hold its next meeting from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in Brussels on Thursday, 27 June * * * The meeting closed at 5.10 p.m. on Thursday, 13 June * * * PV\ doc 40 PE /BUR.