Brussels, 15/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament representatives that will help draw up the new intergovernmental agreement, decided upon on 9 December 2011 by EU heads of state, are Elmar Brok (EPP, Germany), Roberto Gualtieri (S&D, Italy) and Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE, Belgium). Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Greens/EFA, France) will be the delegation's alternate member. This was the decision reached on Thursday 15 December by EP conference of presidents (the chairs of the political groups and the president of the EP). The conference of the presidents said that the EP delegation must try to turn the new budget pact into a solution to the current crisis in Europe, explains an EP press release, pointing out that all options available in the Lisbon Treaty must be fully exploited and all important measures must abide by the EU's normal rules.
A working group set up by the European Council will start work on Monday, and on Tuesday MEPs representing the EP at the working group will meet with the members of the economic and monetary affairs committee and the constitutional affairs committee.
The heads of the EP's political groups are intending to put forward measures to help the eurozone exit the current crisis, measures that will be discussed and voted upon by the EP as a whole at a mini-sitting in Brussels in February. At the January 2012 plenary, the EP is expected to pass a resolution on the outcome of the 9 December European Council meeting. (LC/transl.fl)