Plans for closed-door Convention working group meetings under fire

Date: 02/05/02

By Martin Banks

MEMBERS of the Convention on the future of Europe are divided over plans to hold meetings of special working groups behind closed doors.

About six such groups will be established, each consisting of 20-25 Convention members and chaired by a representative of the praesidium. The groups will meet regularly and have the task of drafting documents and proposals for consideration by the main assembly, headed by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president.

But Linda McAvan, a UK Socialist MEP and Convention member, slammed the proposal for the working parties to meet in private as 'unjustified'.

'I cannot see any possible justification for these groups meeting in private,' she said. 'The Convention itself meets in public, so why not these groups?

'The whole point of this exercise is to 'reconnect' the EU with citizens and to make the Union more open and transparent.'

Two praesidium members, however, say they favour the groups meeting behind closed doors.

John Bruton, the former Irish prime minister, said: 'We have nothing to hide, of course, but private meetings can sometimes be an advantage.' Added Spanish MEP Ana Palacio: 'The groups will be mostly involved in preparatory work so I have no problem with this.'

The composition of the groups has yet to be decided but will reflect the Convention itself, which is made up of national parliamentarians, ministers and MEPs. Each will deal with a separate issue, such as subsidiarity and the division of powers between the EU and member states, and will report back to the Convention with their proposals in the autumn.

Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, the assembly's spokesman, said: 'It would not necessarily be convenient for large members of the public to be allowed into meetings.

'Members of the groups will, however, be accessible and I expect that other people on the Convention will be allowed to attend their meetings. The groups will report their findings to the Convention which is, of course, open to the public.'

Members of the Convention on the Future of Europe are divided over plans to hold meetings of special working groups behind closed doors.

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