WRITTEN QUESTION E-2845/00 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. Number of MEPs in the European Parliament.
Date: 2000-09-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament, allocation of seats, enlargement of the Union, parliamentary seat

C 113 E/192

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

longer appropriate because it no longer reflects current economic spatial structures, it can always request
that Eurostat adapt the boundaries of its NUTS level II or III regions. In fact, the NUTS classification for
both the United Kingdom and Ireland has been modified in 1999 at the reasoned request of the relevant
national authorities.

(1) OJ C 74, 10.3.1998.

(2001/C 113 E/203)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2842/00

by Ulla Sandb(cid:230)k (EDD) to the Council

(6 September 2000)

Subject: Recruitment

Will the Council explain what the relevant qualifications are for the post of Vice-President of the European
Investment Fund, and can it say whether the candidate proposed by the Irish government possesses such
qualifications?

Reply

(30 November 2000)

According to art. 11 of the Protocol on the Statute of the European Investment Bank, only persons whose
independence and competence are beyond doubt can be members of the Board of Directors of the EIB.

Those persons are,
nomination by the Member State concerned and not by the Council of the European Union.

furthermore, appointed by the Board of Governors of

the EIB following their

(2001/C 113 E/204)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2845/00

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(8 September 2000)

Subject: Number of MEPs in the European Parliament

In view of the recent statement by the leader of Her Majesty(cid:146)s Opposition in the UK that (cid:145)we could easily
knock 100 seats off the European Parliament(cid:146) (quoted in GC magazine, September 2000, page 142), could
the Commission outline the process that would have to be gone through to reduce the current European
Parliament from 626 to 526?

Would the Commission take the view that this is an easy task?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(20 October 2000)

The number of seats in the European Parliament is laid down by the EC Treaty. Article 189 EC states that
the number of members may not exceed 700, while Article 190(2) EC (formerly Article 138(2)) lays down
the number of members elected in each Member State (totalling 626 members at present). These
provisions can be changed only by revising the Articles in question, which can be done either by
amending the Treaty (according to the procedure laid down in Article 48 (formerly Article N) of the
Treaty on European Union) or by adjusting the Treaty upon accession of a new Member State (according
to the procedure laid down in Article 49 EU (formerly Article O)).

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/193

One of the topics currently being discussed at the Intergovernmental Conference on the reform of the
institutions, which was convened in February 2000, pursuant to Article 48 EU, and is due to complete its
work at the Nice European Council on 7 and 8 December 2000, is the composition of Parliament with a
view to the enlargement of the Union. Several possible ways are being explored of reducing the number of
MEPs elected in the present Member States in order to ensure that the ceiling of 700 is observed after
enlargement. The Conference is not considering any reduction in the ceiling of 700. Parliament itself
adopted a position on this question in its resolution of 13 April 2000 (A5/0086/00).

(2001/C 113 E/205)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2846/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(8 September 2000)

Subject: Access to EU documents

During the summer months a working party of senior Coreper officials drew up a proposal for a drastic
reduction in the accessibility of EU documents. Yet the Treaty of Amsterdam expressly provides for the
right of access to such documents.

The working party wants to use the written procedure to enshrine this proposal in a binding text. This will
exclude the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council from September.

Only the representatives of the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland have opposed the curtailing of the right
of access. The other Coreper representatives appear to believe that the Commission proposal (cid:129) a code of
conduct via the codecision procedure (cid:129) does not reflect their personal views on access to EU documents.

1.
Does the Council subscribe to the proposal concerning access to EU documents as drawn up by a
working party of senior Coreper officials? If not, will the Council appeal against the proposal in question?

Does the Council believe that the proposal concerning access to EU documents as drawn up by a
2.
working party of senior Coreper officials undermines the Commission proposal, i.e. a code of conduct via
the codecision procedure? If so, what action will the Council take to ensure that the Commission proposal
is the official guideline for access to EU documents?

Does the Council think the proposal by the Coreper officials is an infringement of the provision in
3.
the Treaty of Amsterdam on access to EU documents? If so, in what way will the Council challenge this
infringement of the provisions of the Treaty?

Reply

(30 November 2000)

Decision 2000/527/EC, to which the Honourable Member refers, was adopted by the Council on

1.
14 August 2000 and published in the Official Journal on 23 August 2000 (1).

2.
On the basis of Article 207 alone, the Council may adopt conditions for access to its documents.
Having said that, it is clear that Council rules on the subject will have to comply with the Regulation based
on Article 255, once that has been adopted.

The Council considers that it was within its powers to take Decision 2000/527/EC, without there

3.
being any contradiction or incompatibility with the provisions of the Treaty.

(1) OJ L 212, 23.8.2000, p. 9.