Brussels, 12/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - At a meeting of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Portuguese Minister of State for European Affairs, Francisco Seixas da Costa recalled that the Portuguese Presidency wanted to convene the Intergovernmental Conference for 14 February. He also wanted to reassure the MEPs of the Presidency's openness to a broad agenda, enabling the IGC to broach all the issues proposed both by Member states and the different EU institutions, in the framework of the "fifth box" of the agenda (see EUROPE of 7 January, pp.3/4). He stipulated that all the suggestions contained in the EP's resolution of 18 November could also be discussed at the IGC.
The Committee on Institutional Affairs expressed the wish that this undertaking for a broad agenda would be confirmed by the President-in-Office when the Presidency presents its programme in plenary, in Strasbourg next week. The coordinators of the political groups will meet on Wednesday on the fringe of the session to decide on the attitude to adopt regarding the opinion Parliament has to adopt, under Article 48 of the Treaty, on the convening of the IGC. If the assurances supplied by the Presidency are regarded as sufficient, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs could adopt Messrs. Leinen and Dimitrakopoulos' draft opinion at its meeting of 1 February. Plenary could then be referred the opinion at its first session in Brussels in February.