European Union
The European Parliament (EP) met in plenary session in Strasbourg from 1st to 4th October . The session was characterized by the declarations of the Council and of the Commission and by the debate on the developments that have taken place following the terrorist attacks in the USA and the measures that the EU has taken, and intends to take, to contribute to the world anti-terrorism campaign. In particular, the Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten reported on the recent mission of the EU Troika to Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria, and on the political situation in Afghanistan. Patten stressed the “ role of multilaterlaism and international cooperation” to re-establish peace, announced the adoption of a common EU regulation to crack down on the funding of terrorism and appealed to the EP to support the work of the Executive in favour of refugees. On behalf of the EU Presidency, Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel reaffirmed the conclusions of the extraordinary European Council of 21 September and the consequent anti-terrorism plan of action (cf. SirEurope no 1/2001, page 4) Together with Commissioner Michel Barnier, the Minister reassured the parliamentary assembly by confirming the EU’s determination to respect without delay the agenda adopted prior to the attacks on New York and Washington. The Ghent summit in mid-October, apart from inevitably dealing with terrorism, will in fact tackle as planned the issues of the imminent introduction of the single currency, the Euro, EU enlargement and the Laeken Declaration on the future of Europe. In the course of the plenary session, a debate took place, in the presence of the president of the EU Commission Romano Prodi, on “European governance” and on the White Paper recently presented by the Commission. The assembly also approved a series of provisions, including two Reports and Resolutions on the policy of asylum and economic immigration (cf. the article above on page 6), a joint Resolution on the Durban Conference against racism, a Report on the fight against poverty and transmittable diseases and three Reports on the economic and financial Stability Pact. The next plenary session will take place in Strasbourg from 22 to 25 October.
