MEP candidates urged to sign reform pledge

By Martin Banks

Date: 29/01/04

CANDIDATES in this summer's European elections will be asked to sign a pledge committing themselves to further reform of the European Parliament.

The 'reform pledge' is the brainchild of the Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR), set up by nine MEPs in March 2001, to press for changes to the way the assembly functions on a day-to-day basis.

CPR, which now boasts more than 90 members representing almost every political group in Parliament, says progress has been made in some areas, notably in abolishing costly Friday meetings in Strasbourg and organizing public, televised debates between candidates for Parliament's president and the job of European Ombudsman.

But the group says much more needs to be done, particularly in providing Parliament with a single seat in Brussels, improving the assembly's working methods and establishing "decent" terms and conditions of employment for Parliamentary assistants.

Dutch Socialist deputy Michiel van Hulten, one of the group's founding members, said: "As we approach the elections, much remains to be done to make Parliament more accountable to Europe's voters.

"We believe a commitment to further reform of the Parliament should be one of the criteria voters can use when making up their mind on whom to support."

The 'reform pledge' will be a statement setting out CPR's priorities for the 2004-09 legislature. Van Hulten said candidates in June's elections could show support for reform by signing the pledge.

The CPR's eight other founding members are Green Kathalijne Buitenweg; Liberals Nick Clegg, Chris Davies and Cecilia Malmström, Chris Heaton-Harris and Piia-Noora Kauppi, of the European People's Party, and Socialists Catherine Stihler and Helle Thorning-Schmdit.

The cross-party Campaign for Parliament Reform (CPR) has called for candidates in the 2004 European Parliament elections to sign a pledge committing themselves to further reform of the European Parliament.