Brussels, 12/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Convention is to hold its second plenary session on 15 and 16 April. The session will be devoted to the tasks that the Convention Members hope to entrust to the EU (see in EUROPE of 8/9 April the questionnaire and description of current breakdown of powers).
The plenary will be preceded, during the morning of 15 April, by a short meeting of the Praesidium, which should above all discuss the timetable of the autumn meetings. Next Monday, also, the name of the "guest" who will be representing the candidate countries within the Praesidium will be made known, it was confirmed to the press on Friday by spokesman Nikolaus Meyr-Landrut. "We know that there are several candidates", said the spokesman in answer to questions, "but we have left this entirely to the states concerned". In addition, he pointed out that he was not as yet informed of any request by members from candidate states to have their own interpreters in order to be able to speak in their own language at the plenary (see next page). Speaking to a journalist who affirmed that the Bundesrat representative, Erwin Teufel, would not be at the plenary next week, the spokesman replied: "ask him, but I have learnt that he wished to take the floor" (see Mr Teufel's contribution on the next page). Furthermore, Mr Meyer-Landrut pointed out that a list of those present and speaking would be published after each plenary (Ed.: the list of those present at the session on 21 and 22 March shows that Pierre Moscovici, for example, was absent).
Mr Meyer-Landrut also pointed out that the Convention awaited with interest Eurobarometer's summary assessment note on the Convention to be presented by the European Commission.
Furthermore, the spokesman announced that Valéry Giscard d'Estaing will, at the invitation of Austria, be in Vienna on 18 and 19 April where he will meet Chancellor Schüssel and representatives of the civil society. The Chairman of the Convention is not making a "formal visit of the capitals", said Mr Meyer-Landrut.
In the meantime, the "European Constittuion" Intergroup at the European Parliament (grouping around 200 MEPs of six main groups) has proposed forming an "Intergroup" of this kind within the Convention, by inviting those interested to take part at a first meeting on Monday evening in Brussels.