EU reforms essential for enlargement
In a speech to MEPs this week in Strasbourg, European Commission President Romano Prodi said the EU could be ready to admit countries from Central and Eastern Europe at the beginning of 2003 if EU governments agreed long overdue institutional reforms by the end of this year. In a hard hitting speech, Mr Prodi denounced moves to enhance intergovernmental cooperation at the expense of EU institutions. He feared this would undermine the democratic nature of the whole European structure and would be a seriously retrograde step. Citing foreign policy as an example, he called for the integration into the Commission of the post of High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, which was set up last year by the member states. Defending the roles played by the Commission, Parliament and Council of Ministers, Mr Prodi warned that there was a danger that the EU could become an international talking shop or a government of bureaucrats if the intergovernmental approach was not reversed. According to the Commission President, there was also an acute need in the member states to explain the significance of EU enlargement. The text of Mr Prodi's speech is available on the Commission's website (pdf reader required).
MEPs also gave their backing to EU enlargement this week when they passed a resolution welcoming the progress made in negotiations by the twelve countries that have applied to join the Union.
Draft Charter of Fundamental Rights
In the wake of this week's agreement on the draft Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on EU leaders to add it to the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on reforming the EU. The Parliament also wants the IGC to look at ways of incorporating the Charter into the new EU Treaty. EU leaders are expected to decide at the Nice summit in December on what form the Charter should take. The 54 article text, which has been the subject of detailed negotiations over the last nine months, sets out a series of economic, social and human rights. The draft Charter, which was agreed on 2 October by representatives from national governments and parliaments, as well as the European Parliament, is designed to make existing rights more visible to EU citizens. The text of the draft Charter is available on Parliament's website Europarl (pdf reader required).
Bigger buses
Parliament has given the go-ahead at first reading to a proposal to allow buses of 15 metres in length to operate throughout the EU. At present, eight countries, including the UK and Ireland have a 12 metre limit for buses. Local and national authorities will still be able to introduce restrictions for villages and historic towns.
Risk capital
Parliament has backed a report tabled by South East MEP Peter Skinner on an EU action plan to create a pan-European market for risk capital with a view to boosting the growth of small firms and job creation. Europe falls well behind the United States in raising risk capital and EU leaders have already agreed that action is necessary. Among the recommendations from Parliament are legislation on Supplementary Pension funds and tax incentives for investors.