Strasbourg, 17/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - During a meeting with journalists, the European Parliament Vice-President, James Provan (Conservative, Britain), presented the Parliament's delegation to the conciliation procedure with the Council on the Directive relating to the working time for the transports, seafarers and doctors in training professions. Other than Mr. Provan it is made up of the former French Socialist Prime Minister, Michel Rocard, President of the EP's Social Affairs Committee, and former Belgian Minister for Social Affairs, Miet Smet (EPP- ED), who is the rapporteur on the issue.
Taking into account the importance of this dossier that concerns no less than two million workers, Mr. Provan hoped that the Council will form a high level delegation made up of "Ministers we can look straight in the eye"" rather than Ambassadors or civil servants from Coreper. Recalling the British Conservatives 18-year refusal to let social policy enter into the co-decision procedure, Mr. Rocard underlined that the first conciliation in this area, on the Directive relating to working condition took that place in an explosive atmosphere, has just ended. While underlining that an even more thorny subject remains, that of the working time for young doctors in training, a problem that effects firstly the United Kingdom, but also other countries, Mr. Rocard stated that we "must not cast a stone at any government." Mrs. Smet recalled that the Parliament favours a 4 year period (instead of the 7 years proposed by the Commission and the 13 years chosen by the Council) to gradually pass the working time of doctors from 54 to 48 hours per week. The first conciliation meeting will take place the 24 February.