05/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, opened its own “liaison office” on Monday 5 February with the European Union in Brussels. With a staff of nine, the office is above all an “early warning system” (Frühwarnsystem) intended to inform German parliamentarians of the legislative initiatives being prepared within the Community institutions. European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering considers the opening of this office bears witness to the fact that, more than in the past, national parliaments want to follow European decision-making more closely. In a press release, he welcomes this move saying it strengthens the European debate in member states. The EP president considers the initiative is, moreover, in line with the “spirit of the constitutional treaty” which explicitly provides for greater involvement on the part of national parliaments in monitoring respect of subsidiarity in the European legislative process. The office s located: Place Meeuws 38-40, 1040 Brussels (Tel.: +32 2 504.43.83). (hb)