Brussels, 03/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Presidium of the European Convention is meeting in Brussels throughout the day on 8 May, chaired by Valery Giscard d'Estaing. In the morning, the members of the Presidium will have a free exchange of views on how the work has gone so far (notably on EU tasks, subject of the first plenary, and on the distribution of powers at different levels of the EU, which will be at the centre of the next plenary), whereas, in the afternoon, they will prepare the plenary of 23 and 24 May. This is what spokesman Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut told the press, adding that, like before the plenary devoted to EU tasks, the Presidium will present Members of the Convention with a questionnaire and, no doubt, one or two information notices.
Asked about the setting up of working parties on different issues within the Convention, the spokesman simply confirmed that, for now, it would consist of six working parties (notably on subsidiarity and including the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the future treaty: see EUROPE of 27 April, p.4). You may recall that the chairs of the working parties will in principle be members of the Presidium).
Furthermore, asked as to whether any members of the Convention will have to drop out depending on the outcome of general elections in their countries (one obvious example is that of France, but there are also elections in other Member State of the EU and in candidate countries: Ed.), Meyer-Landrut repeated that that question was the sole responsibility of national authorities which appointed their delegates to the Convention.
Finally, Mr. Meyer-Landrut confirmed that, as we predicted (EUROPE of 22/23 April, p.5), the Convention's Chair, Valery Giscard d'Estaing will be in Stuttgart on 5 May, on the invitation of the Minister-President of Baden-Wurttemberg, Erwin Teufel (who represents the Bundesrat in the Convention). At the end of a lunch with representatives of the Land's world of politics, economics and academia, and before setting off for France (where the second round of the presidential elections will be being held), VGE will make a speech on the future of the European Union which, according to his spokesperson, will place emphasis on strengthening the EU's foreign and security policy.