Verbatim report of proceedings

Monday, 10 September 2012 - Strasbourg

20. Order of business

  President. – The final version of the draft agenda for this sitting, as drawn up by the Conference of Presidents at its meeting of Thursday, 6 September 2012, pursuant to Rule 137 of the Rules of Procedure, has been distributed. The following changes have been proposed:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: no changes.

Thursday:

The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe has requested that the Bowles report on the European system of national and regional accounts in the European Union, on which we were due to vote on Thursday, be removed from the agenda.

  Sharon Bowles, rapporteur. – Mr President, as rapporteur for this dossier, which we had scheduled for a vote on Thursday, I would like to say that we are prepared to defer it for another month because we believe we may now be able to reach a first reading compromise.

The situation was that four Member States – France, Germany, Italy and Portugal – were not prepared for certain statistical data to have to be submitted compulsorily. That was the situation – the impasse – we reached at the end of the Danish Presidency. There has been a lot of coverage about this in the media, and the new Presidency has been able to exert a little more pressure. There is a potential provisional agreement, and I think that I have to wait for it to be submitted.

Obviously, this is a matter of urgency, because how we collect statistical data – and particularly from regions, which is what this relates to – is very important in being able to prove that there are no surprises in accounts. I am sure that, in terms of economic governance and everything else to do with that, the House will agree with me. All the political groups in the committee agree with this proposal to postpone.

(Parliament approved the motion)

(The order of business was thus established)