Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-24-Speech-3-111"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2001-10-24"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Council reform2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20011024.5.3-111"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2001-10-24-Speech-3-1122
lpv:speaker	lp:Gerard Collins2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, I would like to say that I believe that both Parliament and the Commission are most fortunate in having somebody of the calibre of Mr Poos to give us this very fine report which is long overdue. I very much welcome Mr Poos' report and very much hope that when it receives overwhelming support from Parliament, as I believe it will, the Belgian Presidency will convey the importance of the report to the Council of Ministers. We hope also that the Belgian Presidency will lead the drive, as it were, to rock the consciences of the members of the General Affairs Council as to what their role and function must and should be. Regrettably, the General Affairs Council has very much receded into the background in terms of its effectiveness. The Council has been undermined by the expansion of specialised Councils and by the European Council itself and this is very regrettable. The General Affairs Council, as Mr Poos says, must remain a powerful political body and it must not be allowed to become a super Coreper. If it does, nobody will have an overall view of what is happening; where we should go and how we are to prepare for the future. The work of the Council must be more consistent, and greater coordination is needed in the administration of the Council. I feel the Council should confine itself to defining the general political guidelines of the Union and should not intervene in the questions of specific detail. It is very much in the interests of better decision-making within the Union to have an effective Council which is transparent and exercises all the duties conferred upon it by the Treaty. Also, Ministers who attend the General Affairs Council meetings must have all the powers required to carry out their tasks. We are all too familiar with Ministers appearing at General Affairs Council meetings, taking the television cameras on the way in with their one or two one-liners and then going on their way. The Belgian Presidency-in-Office shakes her head in disbelief. Madame, I know, I was there! I saw it for myself on more than one occasion and things have not improved since I left. In actual fact, they have got much worse, and that is something that must be aired. We want the General Affairs Council to do its business. We would like the Presidency for the time being to do its business and we also want the Commission to do its business. We respect, and must respect, the three institutions and the role that they have to play. This Parliament cannot afford to sit back and be silent if we see the role of any one of the institutions, be it Parliament or the Commission or, indeed the Council, being sidelined for any particular reason by any small group of Member States for any political reasons they may have at any time."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	vice-chair; UEN (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 unknown; Fianna Fáil Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 chair; Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 member; Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 member; Conference of Delegation Chairs (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Collins (UEN )."1

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