The week-long plenary session of the European Parliament opened in Strasbourg on Monday, 22 October, with the Declaration of the Commission on the theme of security in air transport and in industrial sites. The first day of the session was dedicated to a discussion of the mechanisms and prospects of the international monetary system, European judicial cooperation in civil matters, and the participation of citizens in the formulation of environmental programmes. On the following days the Budgetary Commission of the European Parliament completed its work in preparation for the first reading of the Budget for 2002. On 24 Octobr the EP met in solemn session to receive the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyasto, spiritual leader of the Buddhist world, who has been campaigning for the independence of Tibet for years. The report on the progress of foreign policy and common security was then presented, on behalf of the Commission of Foreign Affairs. On the same day, the European Parliament also discussed the enlargement of the Union’s political borders, with two reports on the progress made in Turkey with a view to its membership of the EU.
