Verbatim report of proceedings

Monday, 21 February 2005 - Strasbourg

11. Order of business

  President. The next item is the order of business.

The final version of the draft agenda for the present part-session as drawn up by the Conference of Presidents at its meeting of 17 February pursuant to Rules 130 and 131 of the Rules of Procedure has been distributed.

No amendments have been proposed to the agenda for Monday or Tuesday.

Wednesday:

The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats has proposed including the issue of the situation in Lebanon following the assassination of former Prime Minister, Mr Hariri, in the Council and Commission statements on EU relations with the Mediterranean region.

  Poettering (PPE-DE). – (DE) Mr President, I am not sure whether I have correctly understood the formal announcement you have just made. Our group would agree to the situation in Lebanon being included in Wednesday morning’s debate on the Mediterranean region. We would then be able to consider an appropriate way of discussing the issue in greater detail in March, perhaps on the basis of an oral question to the Council and the Commission. This would allow us to leave the agenda as it stands, and then to discuss the issue in more detail in March.

I was somewhat surprised to have been given the floor, but I hope that I have been able to help resolve this minor problem.

  President. I understand then that the request has been withdrawn.

  Swoboda (PSE). – (DE) If this is how the proposal now stands, we are also fully in agreement with this solution. After all, we do not want to interfere in Lebanon’s affairs; our aim is to ensure that the country is able to act entirely independently when taking decisions regarding its future. What I am trying to say is that we should leave the agenda as it stands, and set ourselves the task of including a separate item on the issue on the agenda for the March part-session.

  President. Alright, we will deal with it within the item on the agenda which has already been included on the subject. We are not talking about including a new and specific item on the agenda.

The Socialist Group has also presented a request with a view to reversing the order of the oral questions, on the expiry of the WTO Agreement on textiles and clothing and on action against hunger and poverty. It is not a question of withdrawing either of them, but simply of reversing the order of the oral questions.

  Swoboda (PSE). – (DE) Mr President, the proposal is as you have outlined it, and there is no need for any special explanation.

  President. Since nobody else wants to speak, we shall proceed to the vote.

(The proposal was approved)

The political groups have agreed to establish a margin until 6.00 p.m., so that all the items on Wednesday’s agenda which should involve the Council can be dealt with before that time.

No amendment to the Thursday sitting has been proposed.

(The order of business was adopted thus amended)

  Posselt (PPE-DE). – (DE) Mr President, I am not sure whether I have misunderstood something. You said that matters requiring the presence of the Council must be completed by 6.00 p.m. Does that also apply to Question Time? Question Time with the Council is scheduled for Wednesday, and the Council will naturally need to be present then.

  President. The Council will be here for Question Time and for all the items for which it is required, and it will therefore also be present for Questions to the Council.

We have received two requests for urgent procedure: a proposal for a Council regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 as regards a specific action for transfers of vessels to countries hit by the tsunami in 2004.

In view of the urgent problems facing the fisheries sectors in the countries affected by the December tsunami, this proposal establishes an essential legislative framework allowing the Member States to authorise the transfer of small vessels to those fishing communities.

The second request relates to the proposal for a Council regulation imposing certain specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire.

The urgent procedure is justified since it is very important that this Regulation be approved as quickly as possible in order to prevent the transfer of funds and resources that should be frozen.

Parliament will give its opinion on these requests for urgent procedure tomorrow, Tuesday, at the beginning of the sitting. I am telling you this so that you can come tomorrow duly prepared to make a decision on this.