Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 5 September 2000 - Strasbourg

6. Agenda

  President. – As you are aware, Parliament decided this morning to add a communication by Mr Verheugen on enlargement to tomorrow’s agenda at 5.00 p.m. Mr Prodi, President of the Commission, has also expressed the wish to make a communication on this subject matter. Since Mr Prodi is to leave Strasbourg by 5.00 p.m. at the very latest, I suggest bringing the Commission communication forward to 4.00 p.m. The debates will consequently be resumed after the Commission communication until Question Time (Commission) which commences at 5.30 p.m..

Are there any objections to this?

  Poettering (PPE-DE). – (DE) Mr President, I wholeheartedly agree with what you have said, and also welcome with open arms the fact that President Prodi himself is to make a statement. All I would ask – and the group chairmen in attendance will support me in this – is that the group chairmen are also given the opportunity tomorrow to make a brief statement of their position. This has not been scheduled yet, but I would ask if it could be attended to, so that we too are able to make our positions clear. There is no need for it to be a long statement, but the group chairmen must be given this opportunity. I would urge you to arrange this accordingly.

  President. – Mr Poettering, Parliament is sovereign. If, therefore, you express this wish and I feel that you do so on behalf of many, especially your own colleagues, then I have no objections to granting you this wish, and this means that the group chairmen will also be taking the floor.

Are there any objections?

Then the decision is as stated.