Brussels, 29/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Conference of Presidents of the political groups of the European Parliament has decided to take immediate action on the report by German Social Democrat Willi Rothley on the evaluation of activities of Members of the European Parliament, adopted on 14 February last by the Committee on Legal Affairs, on the fringe of the plenary session in Strasbourg.
A group of independent distinguished citizens charged with issuing an opinion on the remuneration of Members of the EP, has been set up. Its members are: Niels Ersbol, former Council Secretary General; David Williamson, former Secretary General of the European Commission; Egon Klepsch, former EP President; Josep Subirats, former Vice-President of the Court of Auditors; and Carlo Secchi, former Member of the EP and former Vice-President of University Bocconi (Milan).
The EP Bureau will very soon be selecting the independent bodies that will conduct two studies on (1) the activities of Members of the EP, and (2) the rank of remuneration of Members of national parliaments in relation to other political and administrative posts. These two studies are expected to be ready for mid-April. They will be used as the basis for the recommendation by the group of independent personalities.