Brussels, 04/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Parliament will be discussing the report "on relations between the European Parliament and national parliaments in European integration" drafted by the President of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, Democratici di Sinistra MEP Giorgio Napolitano, who has consistently worked towards closer liaison between Member States' MPs and MEPs during the first half of the EP's current term.
Following this line, Mr Napolitano believes "national parliaments must be able to intervene when European legislative texts are being drawn up, by expressing opinions and making contributions of which the respective governments undertake to take account, even though they cannot serve as binding negotiating briefs". Noting that "in recent years relations between the European Parliament and national parliaments have improved and developed considerably", he suggests considering "a proper interparliametnary agreement to make various forms of consultation and co-operation … systematic and programmatic". "This would not be a formally binding agreements like the framework agreements between the Union's institutions" and could be drawn up "at Conference of the Presidents of the Parliaments of the European Union" (the EP and Member States' parliaments).
Mr Napolitano opposes, however, the idea of a second chamber of national MPs (that has been suggested by various Member States' national parliaments) "but without the consensus of many others" (Danish proposals to this effect were unsuccessful at previous IGCs, Ed) since this would create a new institution to add to the already complex EU infrastructure and lead to a "confusing overlapping… it is necessary, on the contrary, to strengthen the powers of the national parliaments vis-à-vis their governments". Mr Napolitano also criticised the French Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin's idea of setting up a "permanent conference of parliaments or a congress".
The Napolitano Report is accompanied by a minority opinion by Georges Berthu (separatist from France) who criticises Mr Napolitano for "confining the national parliaments to a role of scrutinising their respective governments, a role which has been curtailed ever since the extension of qualified majority voting in the Council broke the link between European decisions and each people taken separately". Mr Berthu wants national parliaments to be given "responsibility for monitoring subsidiarity" and "setting up sectoral assemblies of the national parliaments".