Brussels, 07/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - The agenda of the European Parliaments plenary session next week will be enriched by two topical debates: Wednesday morning, the Council will make a statement on EU/United States co-operation in the fight against terrorism, and, in the afternoon, the Council and Commission will make statements on the situation in te Middle East. Wednesday, there will also be a formal session for the handing over of the Sakharov Prize, which this times has been awarded to three winners, the Palestinian Izzat Ghazzawi and Israeli Nurit Peled-Ehlanan, who continue to strive for peace in the Middle East, whereas both have lost a child due to terrorism, and Don Zacarias Zamuenho, who has been fighting for peace in Anglo for years. In addition, the European Commission's communication Tuesday afternoon should be on the Green Paper on the penal protection of the EU's financial interests and the creation of the position of European prosecutor. As for Thursday afternoon's emergency debates, they will be on Zimbabwe, cluster bombs, human rights, Nepal and Congo (see agenda in yesterday's EUROPE, p. 17).
It has been confirmed that the debate on Tuesday morning following the presentation of the European Commission's programme for 2002 by Romano Prodi will prove to be difficult. The spokesperson or the European Parliament told the press on Friday that since 1990 Parliament has the right to be in possession of this programme from October already, so as to be able to examine it in detail before deciding. Yet, the programme for 2002 was only approved on 5 December. All the spokespeople for the political groups agree: not only has the document been presented too late, but it is not satisfactory. "We worry" for our relations with the Commission, added the Parliament's spokesperson, noting that, since last January, President Prodi has found no free time, until last Wednesday, to meet the Conference of Presidents ((the President of the Parliament and those of the political groups). We know that Mr. Prodi has a very tight schedule, and that he has not been able to come to the Parliament because, for example, he had to go to New Delhi, he remarked. He then added on Wednesday that a leader of a political group was overheard saying that Prodi was present physically, but that "spiritually" he still seemed to be in India…