Brussels, 13/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Conference of EP Presidents decided on Thursday 12 March that three reports on the Lisbon Treaty (Dehaene, Brok and Leinen) adopted this week by the constitutional affairs committee (see EUROPE 9858 and 9859) would not be put to the plenary session and would not, therefore, be put to the vote by Parliament. The reason is that a major public debate on arrangements for applying the Lisbon Treaty (which has yet to be ratified) could have an adverse effect on the Irish referendum due to take place before October. The EP, then, will not adopt a position on important issues, such as the procedure for electing the president of the Commission, regretted constitutional affairs committee chairman Jo Leinen. Parliament “is scared and lacks courage,” he said. “If this decision is not overturned, the opponents of the treaty in the EP will have won,” he added. (H.B./transl.rt)