EP delegation joins working group drafting new intergovernmental agreement

The MEPs who will represent the European Parliament in the drafting of the new "intergovernmental agreement" put forward by government leaders at their latest summit, will be Elmar Brok (EPP, DE), Roberto Gualtieri (S&D, IT) and Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE, BE). Daniel Cohn-Bendit (Greens/EFA, FR) will be a substitute member of the delegation.

The working group, which has been created by the Council, will start its work next Monday. The MEPs representing the Parliament in the working group will meet with the economic and monetary affairs and the constitutional affairs committees jointly the day after, on Tuesday.

At their Thursday morning meeting, the EP group leaders and President - the Conference of Presidents - also decided that the delegation is to pay particular attention that the new intergovernmental agreement be a response to the crisis Europe is currently facing. They stressed that all possiblities of the existing treaty must be fully exploited and that all key measures must be based on the normal EU procedures.

The group leaders intend to put forward proposals to exit the eurozone crisis, which are to be debated and voted by the full House at its Brussels mini-session early February.

The Conference of Presidents also want to vote a resolution drafted by the political groups at the January plenary session on the outcome of the latest eurozone summit and developments since then.