Brussels, 07/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - At Friday's plenary, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing announced the Convention's setting up of six initial work groups (see EUROPE yesterday pages 7-8 on their mandate). President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing had observed that several Members wanted the work of these groups to be completed as soon as possible, in principle, by November for some of them. He also considered that some of the groups would be able to present their conclusions in September and others in October at the latest. The President of the groups already set up described how they were going to organise: subsidiarity, first meeting on 7 June, eight meetings, conclusions before September (Mendez de Vigo); economic governance, 7 June, for adoption of the Hänsch programme; national programmes, 13 June, five meetings (Stuart); complementary powers, 17 June, five meetings (Christophersen); legal personality, 18 June (Amato), Charter of Fundamental Rights, 25 June, 12 July (Vitorino).
Repeating that the groups have been created in relation to the development of the Convention debates, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is now planning two new groups, "security and justice" (allocation of responsibilities between the EU and Member States, exercise of these responsibilities and "certain aspects of common foreign policy".
The President believes that there will be a need for a work group to examine the technical aspects of simplifying treaties. He also considered that perhaps the Amato group on legal personality would be able to modify itself into such a work group; certain issues involving the institutions would demand the setting up of one or several work groups, he explained (most likely several, he added).