Brussels, 25/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - Greek Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis last week presented to the Committee of the Regions the Greek priorities of its EU Council Presidency, which is to take up office on 1 January 2003. These priorities, he declared, are: - continuation and finalisation of structural reforms in parallel with strengthened economic cooperation with candidate countries; - mid-term reform of Common Agricultural Policy; common asylum and immigration policy (on which the minister greatly insisted); - strengthened employment strategy; - and support of small and medium-sized enterprise; - as well as citizen safety (health, environment).
During the Committee's plenary session, the Greek Interior Minister stated that Europe cannot only be a common market between Member States but must also take the form of a Europe of Regions. He gave his support to greater involvement by the local and regional authorities in the European Union. The minister stressed that Greece sees the merits of the creation of a European Senate. This second chamber composed of the representatives of towns and regions could only be a transformed Committee of the Regions, he said. This support of the claims of the Committee of the Regions was applauded by all political groups. Bavarian European Affairs Minister Reinhold Bocklet, speaking on behalf of the EPP Group, said that "never has a guest expressed such an ambitious idea".
Speaking on the Cypriot dossier, Costas Skandalidis stressed his country's commitment in favour of rapid resolution of the conflict. He insisted, however, on the requirement that, whatever, even if there is no agreement, Cyprus' membership must be accepted at the Copenhagen Summit. Cyprus, he believes, is the candidate country that is best prepared for membership.
Vice-Chairman to the European Convention Jean-Luc Dehaene evoked at the plenary session on 21 November the state of progress being made by the Convention. Michel Delebarre, on behalf of the PES Group, deplored the fact that the preliminary draft Constitution presented by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing does not for now mention the aim of strengthening subsidiarity and democracy. Claude du Granrut, speaking on behalf of the EPP, said it is essential to consider the regional and local authorities as partners in application of European legislation.
In addition to a declaration on the sinking of the oiltanker "Prestige", the Committee approved 17 opinions (EUROPE of 19 November). The strike movement launched by several trade unions had little effect on the adoption of the texts. The only reports deferred were those by Peter Moore (UK/ELDR) on the productivity of European economies (February 2003) and by Simon Day on reform of Common Fisheries Policy, which could finally be adopted during the working group of 5 December.
On the other hand, trade unions were proved right as the bureau of the Committee of the Regions decided to cancel the internal competition proposal as it had been decided on 9 October. The controversy over this project did cause a stir at the opening of the session, first of all by a strike picket and the strike by French interpreters, for cancellation of the project. The political office of the Committee of the Regions then called an emergency meeting and decided to withdraw the project. One part of the personnel of the Committee of the Regions, however, then interrupted the session, as they were in favour of the competition being organised, which was stressed time and time again by the personnel committee. The Committee's Chairman, Albert Bore, issued a statement on Monday to all staff to seek to clarify this somewhat confused situation. He confirmed that the competition project had been withdrawn and announced that, in order to come out of the impasse, negotiations would be initiated with the staff committee and the trade unions, that he called upon to "find a common solution".