Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-29-Speech-3-115"
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"en.20020529.8.3-115"2
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"Mr President, the European Convention has been meeting in this building since February, and in its sittings, the European institutions' lack of transparency, deficient openness to the public and inadequate democratic control have repeatedly, and rightly, been decried. None of this, though, seemed to have anything to do with Europol, an office whose tasks are decided on by the governments among themselves rather than by a majority in the Council, which is, by the way, itself not exactly the epitome of transparency and democracy. We, Europe's Parliament, are utterly excluded from any control or co-decision, and that is why I will say quite clearly, here and now, that it is a continuing scandal that the Member States' governments refuse to change this.
Whilst democratic influence and control have been left out in the cold, though, Europol's competences have been extended, step by step, since 1998. Money-laundering and counter-terrorism were the watchwords when this was given renewed impetus in the aftermath of 11 September. Europol's functions are about to be extended again. It is already engaged in active preparations for enlargement. According to newspaper reports, new buildings have now been occupied at the Office's headquarters, and the first liaison officers from the candidate countries, for example Poland, have taken up their duties.
All these breathtaking changes are taking place without Parliament being granted even the slightest opportunity to obtain information and exercise control. It is unable either to demand a debate on the Office's annual report, or to summon its director before the competent Parliamentary committee. Parliament is not even accorded the right to send two representatives to its Board of Management. As directly elected delegates, we are left to rely on newspapers for our information, and that, Mr Deprez, is why my group supports your call for the Belgian and Spanish initiative to be rejected."@en1
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