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PRESS RELEASE Embargo : Wednesday 17 July 2002
NEW PLANS TO HELP NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS
New proposals to give national parliaments a larger role in European Union affairs have been proposed to the Convention by Andrew Duff MEP, European Liberal Democrat spokesman on the Convention.
The proposals include:
1. Enabling a majority of national parliaments to call for a third reading of the law by the European Parliament and Council of ministers. This would give national parliament an emergency stop button and oblige the two chambers of the EU legislature to reconsider their positions.
2. National parliament should be able to shape the work programme of the Union. In elaborating its annual legislative programme, the Commission and European Council would have to consult not only the European Parliament but also national parliaments.
3. Better use should be made of interparliamentary conferences bringing together policy specialists from the two levels of parliament to tackle problematic dossiers such as CAP reform or enlargement.
4. A congress composed of the whole European Parliament and an equal number of national parliamentarians could meet every five years following the European elections in order to elect the new president of the Commission. Andrew Duff said: 'These proposals set out pragmatic and sensible ways of ensuring that national parliaments are better informed and involved in European affairs. 'But the main job of national parliaments is to check and control the performance of their own ministers in the Council. This is really an impossible task unless law-making in the Council gets to be opened up to public scrutiny.'
ENDS/...
The full text of Andrew Duff's contribution can be found at http://www.andrewduffmep.org/convention.html Contact: Andrew Duff on +44 7703471659 or Guillaume McLaughlin on +32 478 201 299.
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Andrew's
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in the European Parliament since 1999
Andrew is Vice-President of the European Parliament delegation to the Constitutional Convention on the Future of Europe.
Andrew drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights which has strengthened the rights of all the citizens of the European Union.
Andrew is working for improved links between the EU and Turkey, to encourage improvements in Turkey's human rights record and to enhance its democracy.
Andrew's campaigning in the East of England
Andrew has led calls for the Air Travel industry to be subjected to the same rigorous environmental criteria as other modes of transport
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