Brief items for which space was lacking in earlier editions
*** PE/Strasbourg: Following last Friday's vote in Strasbourg abolishing the 2001 schedule of European Parliament sessions, British Liberal Democrat Andrew Duff wrote to EP President Nicole Fontaine to explain why some MEPs want to end the shuttle between Brussels and Strasbourg. A "federal parliament" must be located in the same place as the Council and Commission, argues Mr Duff, who says Parliament, by holding sessions out of Brussels, is placing itself on the sidelines politically. Even practical improvements to the working conditions in Strasbourg, including more frequent flights, would not solve the problem. Mr Duff, who recognises Strasbourg's "symbolic value", especially for France and Germany, notes that the EP's "Louise Weiss" building in the capital of Alsace (which remains unused 40 weeks a year, he adds) would make "a splendid university campus" and asks: "Why not establish the first truly European university there?"
*** EP/National parliaments: The working group on the quality of legislation met on 16 and 17 June at the European University Institute in Fiesole. Chaired by the Speaker of the Italian House of Representatives Luciano Violante, its members include representatives of the European Parliaments and the parliaments of Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Austria. The group pursued its preparation of the paper on the simplification and quality of legislation, which will be debated by the Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of European Union Member States on 23 and 24 September in Rome. Making particular contributions to this work, introduced by the President of the European University Institute Patrick Masterson, were the Director of the Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, Yves Mény, and Tom Burns of Uppsala University.
*** EP/Nuclear power/Germany: CDU Member of the EP Peter Liese has criticised the German government's decision to give up nuclear power, saying it could "seriously compromise the goal of climate protection". In a liberalised energy market, "we will end up importing from Eastern Europe electricity from nuclear power stations built with the aid of the federal government", he asserted.
*** EP/Education: CSU Member of the EP Markus Ferber considers "dangerous" the Lisbon Summit's "vain promises" on education, which are now being endorsed by the EU Council of Education Ministers. Mr Ferber notes that the German government must prevent the putting into practice of the "framework of European convergence for basic education of European citizens" proposed by the Portuguese Presidency. This would be "a frontal attack" on the German Länder's powers in the area of education, he said, noting for example, that it is for the Länder, and not the European Union, to decide whether or not to introduce the teaching of foreign languages in primary schools.
*** EU/France/Germany: In a joint statement, the Presidents of Europa Union, Elmar Brok, of the European Movement-Germany, Wolfgang Thierse, and of the European Movement-France, Anne-Marie Idrac (along with First Vice-President Henri Nallet), welcome the launch of a "wide debate on the future of the European venture" initiated by Joschka Fischer's speech. Commenting on Fischer's call for a "European Federation of nation states endowed with a constitution", they note that, over and above the present IGC, "the drafting of a European constitution is indispensable", and that, insofar as "all present or future Member States may not wish to commit to a European federation", they support, as an intermediate stage, the establishment of an "avant-garde" or "centre of gravity" of Member States wishing to take political integration forward.
*** EU/ECB: The monthly report of the European Central Bank for June states that the reduction in budget deficits in euro area countries "is continuing at a slower pace in 2000 and 2001", and notes that the low reduction in these deficits "masks a slight deterioration in budget balances", which is due to a cyclical easing of budget guidelines. (It will be recalled that the European Commission, in its recent paper on the quality of public finances of EU Member States, warned Member States against the temptation of taking advantage of today's growth to be less rigorous in their budget policies).
*** EMU/Greece: Greek Under-Secretary of Finance George Drys has announced that the conversion of the Greek public debt into euros would be taking place progressively, in five steps, from 16 June to 31 December of this year
*** College of Europe: On a proposal by Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene has been appointed President of the Board of Administration of the College of Europe in Bruges, succeeding Jacques Delors.