Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-10-Speech-1-019"
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"en.20000410.1.1-019"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, considerable changes have been made to the proposed agenda. Reports have been shifted around and time slots have even been changed. Tomorrow we will start at 8.30 a.m. for the first time. One would have hoped that, due to a heavy agenda, the reports would be spread evenly over these five full days here at Strasbourg, but that is not the case: on Friday, two reports have been dropped and only three oral questions are down on the agenda. We are now faced with a dilemma. As elected members of our national parliaments, we represent our electorate and this must be reflected in all votes. However, the agenda for Fridays, for this Friday and for previous Fridays, is often so light that many MEPs genuinely believe that they can spend their time more productively in their own countries. I therefore wonder how we are to fulfil our obligations in the best way?
I have talked extensively to MEPs from various groups on this matter and we concluded that Parliament must make a choice: either we give the agenda on Fridays sufficient weight so that more Members attend the votes or we do away with it altogether. This is not an anti-Strasbourg campaign but a plea for more Members to be present during the votes and also for an increase in Parliament’s prestige.
You received an e-mail last week about our intention to apply for the quorum on Friday. The Conference of Presidents has also received a letter on this matter. However, the agenda is not heavier as a result. If anything, as I have already stated, this coming Friday’s agenda is lighter. Our plans, therefore, remain unchanged, and this means that if, on Friday, the necessary 209 Members are not present, then the vote will not take place. This is something about which we wanted to give you plenty of notice, so as to enable you, by being either present or absent, and not just by what you affirm, to make it known what you want on Fridays: to make the agenda more substantial or abolish it."@en1
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