From 1 May 2004, there will be 162 new Members of the European Parliament, representing the ten new Member States of the EU. These new MEPs, who are in most cases the current observers from the accession countries, have been nominated by their Member States to serve only until the newly elected European Parliament meets in July. For the short period until then, however, the new Members will formally have exactly the same status as the current 626 MEPs from the 15 Member States. Monday 3 May 2004 will therefore see the formal opening of the first sitting of the enlarged European Parliament.

Before the events in the chamber, EU enlargement will be marked by an official ceremony in front of the Louise Weiss building. Each of the presidents of the national parliaments of the new Member States will present their flag to EP President Pat COX, who will hand them over to a solider from Eurocorps. When all the flags have been handed over, they will be raised simultaneously, along with the European flag, while a band plays the European anthem. This ceremony will begin at 5pm. Former Polish President Lech Walesa will also be present for the event.

The main part of the session will be devoted to a general debate on a series of topics relating to the future of the enlarged EU. MEPs from the 25 Member States will hear and debate statements from the Council and Commission on progress towards a European Constitution, and statements from the Commission on the future of the European economic and social model, on the relationship between the enlarged EU and its neighbours, and on how to ensure freedom and security for Union citizens.

The new members of the Commission from the ten new Member States will be presented to MEPs by Commission President Romano PRODI in plenary session on Wednesday 5th May. The new Commissioners have already taken part in hearings before the Conference of Committee Chairs to answer detailed questions about their experience and plans. A report on these hearings can be found here:

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+PRESS+NR-20040415-1+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&LEVEL=2&NAV=S#SECTION1

and further details on the process here:

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+PRESS+BI-20040323-1+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&LEVEL=2&NAV=S#SECTION1

The new Commissioner from France, Jacques Barrot, nominated to replace Michel Barnier, and the new Commissioner from Spain, Joaquin Almunia, nominated to replace Pedro Solbes Mira took part in hearings before the Regional Affairs, Transport and Tourism Committee and the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee respectively, reflecting the portfolios they are due to take over. Details of these hearings can be found here:

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PROG=PRESS&L=EN&NAV=S&PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+PRESS+NR-INDEX-2004+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&REFERER=$nt$/press/index_publi_en.htm

MEPs will vote on the approval of the new Commission line-up as a whole.

From 10 - 11 am on Tuesday, MEPs will participate in a debate commemorating Jean Monnet and the twentieth anniversary of the draft Treaty establishing the European Union (1984 - Rapporteur: Altiero Spinelli).

Jean Monnet was a French economist and public official and a leading proponent of European unity after World War II. He served (1919-23) as deputy secretary general of the League of Nations. During the war he served in Washington DC working for the Allied cause. In 1947 he developed the Monnet Plan for French economic revival, which led to French participation in the Marshall Plan. Following a proposal by Robert Schuman, he drafted the Schuman Plan, which established (1952) the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) - the early precursor of today's European Union. Monnet, first president (1952-55) of the ECSC, conceived it as the initial step toward European economic and political integration.

Disappointed with the scope and scale of early integration, he resigned as President of the High Authority of the ECSC and vowed to continue the struggle for political and economic integration outside the formal institutional structures - becoming, in a sense, Europe's first lobbyist.

For more information on Jean Monnet:

http://www.jean-monnet.net/usindex.html
http://www.jean-monnet.ch/anglais/index.php

Altiero Spinelli (1907-1986) promoted the foundation of the Movimento Federalista Europeo (European Federalist Movement) on 27-28th August 1943 in Milan. He had joined the Italian Communist Party at a very early age, and participated in the clandestine struggle against fascism. Arrested in 1927, he spent ten years in prison and a further six in 'confinement'.

In the early fifties, campaigning by Spinelli and the MFE aimed at the Italian government proved decisive in making the European constituent question the central issue in the intergovernmental negotiations for the creation of the European Defence Community (EDC).

After abandoning the MFE in the sixties, he was nominated a member of the Commission in 1970. From 1976 to 1986 he was a member of the European Parliament, becoming President of its Institutional Committee in 1984. It was in the European Parliament that Spinelli had the opportunity to start a constitutional campaign, promoting in the now directly elected European Parliament, the elaboration of a Draft Treaty establishing the European Union (approved by a huge majority on 14th February 1984). This initiative was blocked and shelved by the national governments, which in 1985 passed the less ambitious Single European Act. This nevertheless marked the entrance of the European Parliament onto the European scene as a new political actor in the process of democratising the Community's institutions. Many people regard this draft treaty as a pre-cursor to the Treaty of Maastricht which increased the European Parliament's powers considerably.

Spinelli died in Rome on 23rd May 1986.

EU enlargement also means there will be members of the Court of Auditors from the ten new Member States. The ten nominees have taken part in a hearing organised by the Budgetary Control Committee. More information is available here:

http://www.europarl.eu.int/comparl/cont/site/auditions/members_en.htm

MEPs will be voting on report drawn up by the chair of the Budgetary Control Committee, Diemut THEATO (EPP-ED, D), on whether to recommend approval of these appointments to the Council. The report is scheduled for adoption in Committee on 3 May 2004.

The Legal Affairs and Internal Market Committee will hold a special session on 4 May to verify the credentials of the 162 new MEPs from the new Member States. The results of this meeting will be announced to the plenary session at midday on Wednesday 5 May.
EP Rules of Procedure

A valid motion of censure on the Commission was tabled during the April session, and was debated on 21 April 2004. The vote, which requires both a two thirds majority of those voting and an absolute majority of MEPs to pass, will be held on Tuesday. A motion of censure by Parliament would remove the Commission from office. Those proposing the motion cited in particular the Commission's failure to take political responsibility for the Eurostat affair.

The relevant rules are set out in Article 34 of Parliament's rules of procedure:

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+RULES-EP+20031020+RULE-034+DOC+XML+V0//EN&HNAV=Y

Political groups in the European Parliament

Situation as at: 28.04.2004

Changes in the last 60 days

Political groups