Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-15-Speech-3-167"
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"en.20020515.8.3-167"2
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"Mr President, all the institutions face a major challenge with enlargement bringing in more members to each institution, but none more so than the Council. The Commission and Parliament are better placed to deal with these difficulties, but meetings of ministers flying in for a short time to Brussels, when it takes half a morning just to have a
really provide the Council with a challenge.
Much of that will require treaty amendments. That is a matter for the Convention. In the immediate future, in Seville, the Council will be facing changes that can be made within the framework of the existing Treaties. I too welcome the identification in Mr Solana's report and elsewhere of the changes that could be made.
It is right that we should try and get the European Council to focus on strategy and on the key strategic issues and no longer be a court of appeal when the ordinary Council is deadlocked. That is of fundamental importance. In addition, where subjects which, in the ordinary Council, would be taken by a qualified majority, go to the European Council, they should similarly be dealt with by a qualified majority in the European Council. That is also well and good.
It would also be a good idea to split the General Affairs Council from the Foreign Affairs Council. Some Member States will want to send the same minister to each for various internal reasons. Others will not. That is up to each Member State, but the functions should be separated so that they are both done well instead of badly.
Other changes can be made without amending the Treaties. Meeting in public when the Council acts in its legislative capacity is one of them. Yes, we have made progress in terms of access to documents and publishing the results of votes in the Council. That was an important step forward, but we must go that step further and actually meet in public.
Finally, members of the Council should establish a better rapport with members of their national parliaments. The protocol set a six-week period for them to do this for any item of legislation. They should do this properly. That is the way to involve national parliaments, not by creating some new institution which would duplicate the Council, some sort of third chamber. Get the ministers to do their jobs properly and it will be done well without needing new structures."@en1
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"tour de table –"1
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