Annex
Meetings and subjects discussed during
the Committee's overseas visits
Strasbourg and Luxembourg, 10-13 March
2003
Strasbourg, 10 March
UK MEPs belonging to the Convention: processes within
the Convention; absence of voting in the Convention and role of
the Convention's Praesidium; advantages and disadvantages of having
a Convention; the Convention's likely outcome; likely impact of
Convention proposals on national parliaments; reform of COSAC
and MEPs' attitude towards it; how to increase public interest
in the European Parliament and elections to it.
Strasbourg, 11 March
Judges and officials of the European Court of Human
Rights: coherence of human rights protection across Europe and
desirability of the EU institutions being bound by the European
Convention on Human Rights (ECHR); relationship between European
Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice if the
EU acceded; impact on the Court of accession of central and eastern
European countries and arrival of judges from them; EU incorporation
of Charter of Fundamental Rights and possibility of divergent
interpretations; standing of individuals under the ECHR and Charter;
backlog of ECHR cases and possible remedies.
Chris Krüger, former Deputy Secretary-General
of the Council of Europe: possibility of conflict between the
ECHR and Charter; role of the European Court of Human Rights if
the EU acceded to the ECHR; increase in the Court's workload and
possible remedies.
Luxembourg, 11 March
Judge Edward of the European Court of Justice (ECJ):
general introduction to the ECJ; budget, especially for translation
and interpretation; changing workload and efforts to clear backlog
of cases; time taken for cases, especially the impact of translation;
increased translation problem following enlargement; possibility
of fast-tracking cases.
Luxembourg, 12 March
Judges Vesterdorp, Edward and Forwood and Advocate
General Jacobs of the European Court of Justice: proposed extension
of the jurisdiction of the Court of First Instance (COFI); delays
in COFI; changes in COFI's workload; rules for allocation of cases
to judges/courts; enforcement of ECJ judgments; Charter of Fundamental
Rights and remedies under it; possible EU accession to the ECHR;
jurisdiction of the ECJ, e.g. in Third Pillar matters; need for
accelerated procedure if jurisdiction extended to criminal matters
and child custody; translation and budget problems.
Members of the European Court of Auditors (ECA):
organisation of the ECA and possible changes; language problems
and delays; balance between audit for integrity and audit for
value for money; whistleblowers and the case of Mrs Andreasen;
impact of EU enlargement; effectiveness of OLAF; problems over
Structural Funds; problems over European Development Funds.
Foreign Minister of Luxembourg (Mrs Lydie Polfer):
importance of the EU, NATO and the UN to Luxembourg's security;
policy on disarmament of Iraq; impact of the Iraq crisis on the
CFSP and ESDP; the Convention and the relationship of large and
small countries; number of Commissioners; proposed Council Presidency;
prospects for the Convention.
ROME AND VALLETTA, 9-12 JUNE 2003
Rome, 9 June
Productive Activities Minister (Antonio Marzano):
Presidency priorities, especially the Lisbon Agenda and competitiveness;
intellectual property; entrepreneurship and SMEs; sectoral policies;
energy; consumer policy; impact of EU enlargement; transport;
relationship of technology, relocation and jobs; Italian productivity.
Interior Junior Minister (Antonio d'Ali): Presidency
priorities; border controls; illegal immigration; racism and xenophobia;
common asylum policy.
Rome, 10 June
EU Minister (Rocco Buttiglione): importance of national
identities in the EU; foreign policy, especially relations with
the US; the Convention's proposals; QMV; the IGC and its timing;
common defence policy; defence procurement; the euro; Russia and
the EU; EU's role in the Middle East.
Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies' EU Policies
Committee (Giacomo Stucchi): Parliament's contribution to the
Presidency priorities; the Convention and the Chamber's monitoring
of it; role of national parliaments; reform of COSAC; reform of
the EU Policies Committee.
Junior Minister of Justice (Jole Santelli) and officials:
Presidency priorities; racism and xenophobia; delays in litigation;
harmonisation of criminal law and procedure; European Public Prosecutor.
Deputy Prime Minister (Gianfranco Fini): the Convention
and IGC; Charter of Fundamental Rights; subsidiarity; number of
Commissioners; election of the Commission President; a longer-term
Council President; EU Foreign Minister; QMV, especially in foreign
policy; role of the IGC; the Atlantic relationship.
Valletta, 11 June
High Commission briefing.
Malta Environment and Planning Authority: MEPA's
role and activities; raising environmental awareness; protection
of birds; waste management; water; CAP reform and Malta; Maltese
views on the EU; environmental legislation; transport.
Minister for Justice and Home Affairs (Dr Tonio Borg):
asylum and immigration; visa policy; Europol; money laundering;
terrorism; judicial training; implementation of EU law; harmonisation
of criminal law and procedure; European Public Prosecutor.
Valletta, 12 June
Members of Parliament likely to be on Malta's European
Affairs Committee: the work of the European Scrutiny Committee
and its relevance to the Maltese Parliament following accession,
including the scale of the task, the resources needed, the relationship
with citizens, the scrutiny reserve resolution, the mechanics
of the Committee's work, debates, the process of taking evidence,
and the impact on government policy.
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Dr Joe Borg) and officials:
preparation for Malta's accession, including possible new structures;
involvement of civil society in this; parliamentary scrutiny of
EU matters, and the shortage of Members and resources for this;
the Convention's proposals; number of Commissioners; election
of Commission President.
PARIS, 4 NOVEMBER 2003
Délégation de l'Assemblée Nationale
pour l'Union Européenne: CFSP and ESDP; structured cooperation
on defence and criteria for participation in it; objectives of
ESDP; relationship between European defence cooperation and NATO;
the Atlantic relationship generally; defence cooperation between
France, the UK and Germany; proposed EU Foreign Minister; possibility
of a multi-speed Europe; funding of the EU and the UK's budget
rebate; the Convention's proposals; QMV; subsidiarity early-warning
mechanism; role of national parliaments; number of Commissioners;
proposed Legislative Council; Lisbon Agenda; French policy on
energy liberalisation; role of European Central Bank; Franco-British
co-operation on shipbuilding; referendums; whether public attitudes
in the UK towards the EU and France ressemble those in the press.
DUBLIN, 9-11 DECEMBER 2003
9 December
Embassy briefing.
10 December
Minister of Finance (Charlie McCreevy): Presidency
priorities; next Financial Perspective; Lisbon Agenda; Financial
Services Action Plan; tax harmonisation and tax competition; Growth
and Stability Pact; Irish experience of the euro; International
Finance Facility.
Minister for Europe (Dick Roche) and Special Adviser
to the Taoiseach (Una Claffey): prospects for the IGC; tax competition;
role of national parliaments; criminal law provisions in the draft
treaty; reference to Christianity in the draft treaty; impact
of problems over the Stability and Growth Pact; Presidency priorities;
referendum on draft treaty; bridging the gap between citizens
and the EU.
Assistant Secretary, Department of Enterprise, Trade
and Employment (Seamus O'Morain): failure of WTO meeting at Cancun
and future plans; plans in respect of the Lisbon Agenda.
Junior Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
(Willie O'Dea): Convention's criminal justice proposals; European
Public Prosecutor; Charter of Fundamental Rights; asylum problems
and policy in Ireland; discrimination and employment law.
11 December
Secretary General (Niall Callan) and other officials
of the Department of Environment and Local Government: meetings
during the Presidency and Presidency plans; chemicals legislation;
Kyoto agreement; waste; wind farms; sustainable development strategy.
Members of the Oireachtas European Affairs Committee:
role, activities and resources of the Committee; relationship
between the Committee and the public; public attitudes to the
EU and the Irish Presidency.
Counsellor (Frank Sheridan) and other officials of
the Development Co-operation Division, Department of Foreign Affairs:
Presidency plans; relationship between development assistance
and the CFSP; budgetisation of the European Development Funds;
International Finance Facility; preventing misuse of development
assistance; the Irish development assistance model; Cancun; planned
HIV-AIDS Conference.
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