Annex II
MEASURES CONCERNING THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONING
OF THE COUNCIL
1. With a view to improving the functioning
of the Council in the run-up to enlargement, the European Council
has adopted the following conclusions, which will be reflected
to the extent necessary by the relevant amendments to the Council's
Rules of Procedure, to be made by 31 July 2002.
A. CREATION OF
A NEW
GENERAL AFFAIRS
AND EXTERNAL
RELATIONS COUNCIL
2. The current General Affairs Council configuration
shall from now on be called the "General Affairs and External
Relations Council". In order best to organise proceedings
with regard to the two main areas of activity covered by this
configuration, it will hold separate meetings (with separate agendas
and possibly on different dates and) dealing, respectively, with:
(a) preparation for and follow-up to the
European Council (including the co-ordinating activities necessary
to that end), institutional and administrative questions, horizontal
dossiers which affect several of the Union's policies and any
dossier entrusted to it by the European Council, having regard
to EMU operating rules;
(b) the whole of the Union's external action,
namely common foreign and security policy, European security and
defence policy, foreign trade, development co-operation and humanitarian
aid.
B. LIST OF
COUNCIL CONFIGURATIONS[1]
3. The following list of Council configurations
shall be included in the Annex to the Council's Rules of Procedure:
1. General Affairs and External Relations[2];
2. Economic and Financial Affairs[3];
3. Justice and Home Affairs[4];
4. Employment, Social Policy, Heath and Consumer
Affairs;
5. Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry
and Research)[5];
6. Transport, Telecommunications and Energy;
7. Agriculture and Fisheries;
9. Education, Youth and culture[6];
It is agreed that several Ministers would be
able to participate as full members of the same Council configuration,
with the agenda and the organisation of proceedings being adjusted
accordingly.
In the case of the General Affairs and External
Relations Council, each government shall be represented at the
different meetings of this new configuration by the Minister or
State Secretary of his choice.
C. PROGRAMMING
OF COUNCIL
ACTIVITIES
4. In keeping with the role conferred upon
it by the Treaty of defining the general political guidelines
of the Union, the European Council shall adopt, on the basis of
a joint proposal drawn up by the Presidencies concerned in consultation
with the Commission and acting on a recommendation by the General
Affairs Council, a multiannual strategic programme for the three
years to come. The first such strategic programme will be adopted
in December 2003.
5. In the light of the multiannual strategic
programme referred to above, an annual operating programme of
Council activities shall be submitted to the General Affairs Council
in December each year. This programme shall be proposed jointly
by the next two Presidencies in line and shall have regard, inter
alia, to relevant points arising from the dialogue on the
political priorities for the year, conducted at the Commission's
initiative. The final version of the annual programme shall be
drawn up on the basis of the General Affairs Council's discussions.
With a view to implementing these arrangements
as quickly as possible and by way of derogation from the first
subparagraph, the first annual operating programme of Council
activities shall be drawn up in December 2002.
6. This programme shall be accompanied by
a list of indicative agendas for the various Council configurations
for the first six months of the year. The list of indicative agendas
for the second six months shall be submitted by the Presidency
concerned before 1 July, following the appropriate consultations,
in particular with the following Presidency.
D. MEASURES RELATING
TO THE
PRESIDENCY
Co-operation between Presidencies
7. Where it is clear that a dossier will
essentially be dealt with during the following six-month period,
the representative of the Member State holding the Presidency
during that six-month period may, during the current six-month
period, chair meetings of committees (other than Coreper) and
working parties at which the dossier is discussed. The practical
implementation of this provision shall be the subject of an agreement
between the two Presidencies concerned.
Thus, in the specific case of the examination
of the budget for a given financial year, meetings of Council
preparatory bodies other than Coreper shall be chaired by a representative
of the Member State holding the Presidency during the second six-month
period of the year prior to the financial year in question. The
same arrangement shall apply, with the agreement of the other
Presidency, to the chairing of Council meetings at the time when
the items in question are discussed.
8. For the preparation of meetings of Council
configurations meeting once every six months, where such meetings
are held during the first half of the six-month period, meetings
of committees other than Coreper and working party meetings taking
place during the previous six-month period shall be chaired by
a delegate of the Member State which will chair the Council meetings
in question.
Chairing of certain working parties by the General
Secretariat of the Council
9. In addition to cases where the General
Secretariat of the Council already acts as chairman, the following
working parties shall be chaired by a member of the General Secretariat
of the Council:
— Working Party on Electronic Communications;
— Working Party on Legal Information;
— Working Party on Codification of
Legislation;
— Working Party on Information;
— Working Party on New Buildings.
E. OPENING COUNCIL
MEETINGS TO
THE PUBLIC
WHEN THE
COUNCIL IS
ACTING IN
ACCORDANCE WITH
THE PROCEDURE
FOR CODECISION
WITH THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
10. Council debates on acts adopted in accordance
with the procedure for codecision with the European Parliament
shall be open to the public under the following circumstances:
— during the initial stage of the procedure:
opening to the public of the presentation by the Commission of
its main codecision legislative proposals and the ensuing debate.
The list of proposals concerned shall be drawn up by the Council
at the beginning of each six-month period;
— during the final stage of the procedure:
opening to the public of the vote and explanations of voting.
11. The debates shall be made public by
providing the public with a room to which the deliberations of
the Council will be transmitted live, including the indication
by visual means of the outcome of the vote. The public will be
informed in advance by the appropriate means (for example, on
the Council's Internet site) of the days and times at which such
transmissions will take place.
F. CONDUCTING
MEETINGS
12. The Presidency shall ensure that meetings
proceed smoothly. It shall be the Presidency's responsibility
to take any measure required to achieve the best possible use
of the time available during meetings, including:
— limiting the time for which contributors
may speak;
— determining the order in which contributors
speak;
— asking delegations to present their
proposals for amendment of the text under discussion in writing
before a given date, together with a brief explanation if appropriate;
— asking delegations which have an
identical or close position on any particular item to choose one
of them to express their joint position at the meeting or in writing
before the meeting.
1 The new arrangements regarding Council configurations
will be applied by the Danish Presidency having regard to the
constraints which may arise from the timetable of meetings already
established. Back
2
Including ESDP and development co-operation. Back
3
Including the budget. Back
4
Including civil protection. Back
5
Including tourism. Back
6
Including audiovisual affairs. Back
| 
