Brussels, 12/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - At a meeting of CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), the Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, British Liberal-Democrat Graham Watson welcomed the importance the Portuguese Presidency was giving to justice and home affairs, "which for too long has been neglected as any thing other than a national issue". The current decision-making system in the matter does not work, "some decisions are taken by 15 Member States, others by 13, and often Member States must agree unanimously", he observed, considering that "we will never make progress according to schedule if we work in a legal maze", and that it would "make eminent good sense to move quickly to merge the 1st and 3rd pillars as foreseen under Article 42 of the Amsterdam Treaty, thus creating legal certainty and faster decision-making". According to Mr. Watson, if Member States "want to meet their goal of achieving the aims of Amsterdam, they must follow the lead of the Portuguese Presidency and support increased majority voting and greater involvement of the European Parliament and Commission in all areas of Justice and Home Affairs policy".