WRITTEN QUESTION E-1787/02 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Proposals to reform the EU Council Presidency.
Date: 2002-06-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Council of the European Union, European Constitution, Presidency of the Council of the EU, institutional reform, operation of the Institutions

C 52 E/102

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2003

(2003/C 52 E/114)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1787/02

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council

Subject: Proposals to reform the EU Council Presidency

(24 June 2002)

A number of proposals have been put forward recently, during the Spanish Presidency, to replace the
present arrangements relating to the EU Council Presidency with another system in which the Presidency
would be formed jointly by various Member States (cid:1) or at least by those states with larger populations (cid:1)
for a period of several years.

These proposals have been made at a time when the Convention is about to discuss the reform of the
Treaties, with a view to drawing up a European constitution, which will also involve determining the
structure of the institutions, including the Council itself, and the relationship between them.

It is therefore surely more appropriate for the proposals currently being discussed by the Council on its
own structure to be formally submitted to the Convention as suggestions to be freely considered in its
discussions.

What do the various proposals which the Council
is currently considering actually involve? What
arrangements have been made between the Council and the Convention with a view to discussing this
fundamental issue while ensuring that the Convention’s prerogatives are fully respected?

Reply

(5 November 2002)

The report on measures to prepare the Council for enlargement which the Presidency submitted to the
Seville European Council did not present specific proposals regarding replacement of the present Council
Presidency system but simply noted the main proposals put forward on the subject so far, while stressing
that they were not binding on any delegation and were not exhaustive.

That is why the European Council restricted itself, as regards the Presidency system (apart from some
practical administrative measures not requiring Treaty amendments), to taking note of the current debate
as set out in the report, noting a general readiness to examine the question further and asking the future
Danish Presidency to take appropriate steps to continue discussions with a view to an initial report to the
European Council in December 2002.

In these circumstances and in the absence of specific proposals, the question of the nature of the relations
that could be established between the Council and the Convention for the examination of such proposals
does not arise. However, the Council will be sure, in any future initiatives, to respect scrupulously the role
and responsibilities of the Convention as defined by the Laeken Declaration.

(2003/C 52 E/115)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1800/02

by Maria Sanders-ten Holte (ELDR) to the Council

(24 June 2002)

Subject: Ratification of Montreal Convention for the unification of certain rules for international carriage

by air

The Member States signed the Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International
Carriage by Air on 28 May 1999 and the Council has indicated that the Community would deposit the 15
ratification instruments together by the end of 2002 in order to avoid any discrepancy between Member
States.