23/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Parliament rejected the initiative put forward by Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands on amending the process for selecting the director and deputy directors of Europol. This was in protest against the "Council's offhandedness towards Parliament". Rapporteur Gérard Deprez (EPP, Belgium) explains in the explanatory statement of his report that he does not criticise the timeliness or the content of the initiative but rather the fact that the Council does not take the trouble to consult MEPs seriously. Gérard Deprez put questions to the President of the JHA Council for justice issues, Lene Espersen, who was taking part at a meeting of the Committee on Citizens' Freedoms on Tuesday evening in Strasbourg. She replied that the Council awaits the opinion of the Europol administrative board and of the European Parliament before approving the text. The JHA Council reached agreement on this text on Monday (see EUROPE of 16 October). The opinion of the European Parliament, which is only consulted on questions of justice and home affairs, is not binding.