Brussels, 05/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - As we have already announced, the Presidium of the European Convention met on Thursday afternoon in Brussels to prepare for the first plenary after the summer recess on 12-13 September. It will focus on the technical question of the consequences of "simplification of instruments and procedures" in the EU. Just as in previous plenaries, the Presidium is expected to pose a certain number of questions to the Convention Members in order to better structure the work. (The last plenary before the holidays focused on foreign, defence and security policy: EUROPE 13 July p 4 and 15/16 July p 5).
On Thursday the Presidium is also expected to exchange views on the major options for the structure of a new treaty to allow if the case arises, the Presidium to map out, together with Convention Members, in October, the major guidelines for future institutional architecture.
Meanwhile, work groups will be holding their meetings: 5 September: Work group on the legal personality of the Union (President, Giuliano Amato); 6 September: subsidiarity (President, Inigo Mendez de Vigo) and complementary competencies (President, Henning Christophersen); 11 September, national Parliaments (President, Gisela Stuart); 13 September, co-ordination of economic policies (President, Klaus Hänsch); 16 September, Charter of Fundamental Rights (President, Antonio Vitorino). MEP Klaus Hänsch will be participating this weekend in a debate on the European Convention during an informal ECOFIN Council in Copenhagen (see EUROPE yesterday p 9). Klaus Hänsch informed the German press agency, the DPA, that within the Convention work group on the co-ordination of economic policies (which he Chairs), "there has so far been on significant contribution going in the direction of a European economic government".