PV CPG 11.01.2018
PE-8/CPG/PV/2018-01
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
CONFERENCE of PRESIDENTS
MINUTES
of the ordinary meeting of
11 January 2018
Paul-Henri SPAAK, Room 06B01
Brussels
CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS
MINUTES
of the ordinary meeting of
Thursday, 11 January 2018
from 08:30 to 10:30 hours
Paul-Henri SPAAK, Room 06B01
Brussels
CONTENTS
Page
1. Adoption of the draft agenda 8
2. Approval of the draft Minutes of the meeting of 6 December 2017 9
3. Adoption of the final draft agenda for the January part-session (from 15 to 18 January 2018) – Scheduling of key debates in plenary 10
4. Communications by the President 11
4.1 Date of the European Elections in 2019 11
5. Inter-parliamentary relations with Russia - exchange of views with the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee 12
6. Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality, and “Doing Less More Efficiently” - exchange of views 14
7. Requests from parliamentary committees to draw-up own-initiative reports under Rule52, and requests for application of Rule 54, and related requests 15
8. Attribution of competence for the legislative report on the import of cultural goods 17
9. Attribution of competence for the legislative report on ENISA, the "EU Cybersecurity Agency", and on Information and Communication Technology cybersecurity certification (''Cybersecurity Act'') 18
10. Attribution of competence for the legislative report on a framework for the free flow of non-personal data in the European Union 19
11. Agreement on the application of Rule 54 between the Committees on Constitutional Affairs and on Petitions regarding a legislative report on the European Citizens’ Initiative 20
12. Code of Conduct for the Members of the European Commission - adoption of Parliament’s opinion 21
13. Request from the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (PA) to hold meetings of the four standing committees and a meeting of the ad hoc working group on association agreements in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 12 to 14 February 2018 and to extend the duration of the 7th Euronest PA in Brussels, from 25 to 27 June 2018 23
14. Request from the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and from the Delegations to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (Eurolat PA) and for relations with Countries of the Andean Community for authorisation for an INTA standing rapporteur and for the Eurolat PA Chair to join the INTA visit to Bogota, Colombia, and Lima, Peru, from 12 to 16 February 2018 25
15. Request from the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia to add a Member and to extend the 7th EU-Bangladesh Inter-parliamentary meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and to hold additional meetings in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, from 12 to 16 February 2018 26
16. Request from the Delegation for relations with Australia and New Zealand to hold the 22nd EU-New Zealand Inter-parliamentary meeting in Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand, from 13 to 15February 2018 28
17. Request from the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb Countries and the Arab Maghreb Union to establish a Joint Parliamentary Committee EU-Algeria 29
18. Request to send a delegation to the meeting of COSAC Chairpersons in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 21to 22 January 2018 30
19. Request for authorisation to send a delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy, to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 16 to 18 February 2018 31
20. STOA delegations outside Europe during 2018 32
21. Regular items for the scrutiny of the Conference of Presidents 34
21.1 Delegated and implementing acts - Screening of current files 34
21.2 Overview of delegated acts and draft RPS measures currently under EP scrutiny 35
21.3 First reading agreements - Committee decisions to enter into negotiations and state of play of files currently under negotiation 36
22. Urgent matters and any other business 37
22.1 Allocation of appropriations for the political groups under item 400 of Parliament's budget for 2018 37
22.2 The reform of the Romanian justice system 38
23. Items for information 39
23.1 Internal correspondence 39
23.2 Inter-institutional correspondence 39
23.3 External correspondence 39
24. Date and place of next meeting 40
CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS
MINUTES
of the meeting of Thursday 11 January 2018
from 08:30 to 10:30 hours
Brussels
The meeting opened at 8:38 hours with Mr Antonio TAJANI,
President of the European Parliament, in the chair
Present
Mr TAJANI, President
Political Group Chairs Political Group Chairs
Mr GONZÁLEZ PONS (Acting) (EPP)
Mr PITTELLA[1] (S&D)
Mr KAMALL (Co-Chair) (ECR)
Ms IN’T VELD (Acting) (ALDE)
Ms ZIMMER (GUE/NGL)
Mr LAMBERTS (Co-Chair) (Greens/EFA)
Mr LUNDGREN (Acting) (EFDD)
Mr BAY (Co-Chair) (ENF)
Ms DODDS[2] (NI)
Also Present
Mr WELLE, Secretary-General
Mr WINKLER, Deputy Secretary-General
Invited:
Ms WIKSTRÖM, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs
Also invited - Item 5
Mr McALLISTER, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
Mr KARAS, Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Russia PCC
Ms HARMS, Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest PA
The Council3
21/40 PE 615.713/CPG
EN
PV CPG 11.01.2018
represented by Ms DUTKOVA
Mr KERLEROUX
The Vice-President of the
Commission/High Representative
of the Union for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy3
represented by Mr VISENTIN
Mr SPANIER
The Economic and Social Committee3
represented by Ms ADAMISOVA
Mr DELEANU
Office of the President
Mr CANGA FANO
Mr CHIOCCHETTI
Mr CORAZZA
Mr HAGLUND
Ms SALVELLI
Mr WEISS
Office of the Secretary-General
Mr MANGOLD
Ms FERNANDEZ PERLES
Ms FREDSGAARD
Mr DE FINANCE
Office of the Deputy
Secretary-General
Mr JAVELLE
Secretariat
DG Presidency (PRES) Mr LANE/Mr REIFENRATH/Ms GANDOLFO/ Ms VLASTARA1/
Ms TARDIODI-SCHIAVO1
DG Internal Policies (IPOL)
Mr RIBERA/Ms VANDENBOSCH/Mr HUBER
______
3 Present for item 3
DG External Policies (EXPO) Mr AGUIRIANO/Mr STOKELJ4/Mr STUTZMANN4/Ms DOUAUD4/
Mr MAISONNY4
DG European Parliamentary
Research Services (EPRS)
Mr TEASDALE
DG Communication (COMM)
Mr DUCH GUILLOT/Ms VAN DEN BROEKE
DG Personnel (PERS)
Mr KNUDSEN
DG Infrastructures and Logistics
Ms LINNUS
DG Translation (TRAD)
Mr MAVRIČ
DG Interpretation and
Conferences (INTE)
Ms WALTER-DROP
DG Finance (FINS)
Mr KLETHI
DG Innovation and Technological
Support (ITEC) Mr PETRUCCI
DG Security and Safety (SAFE)
Mr CAROZZA
Legal Service (SJ)
Mr DREXLER/Ms MARTINEZ IGLESIAS
Directorate for relations
with political groups
Mr SCHWETZ
Secretariat of the Bureau
Mr TZIORKAS
______
4 Present for item 5
Political groups
Mr KAMP/Ms SCRIBAN/MS ALVARGONZALEZ/Ms LASKAVÁ (EPP)
Mr MORENO SANCHEZ/Ms GLIUBIZZI/Mr BURU/Mr GUERRA (S&D)
Mr BARRETT/Mr BOYD (ECR)
Mr BEELS/Ms COLERA-GARZÓN/Mr RASMUSSEN/Ms PALATOVA (ALDE)
Ms LEPOLA/Ms ASLETT-RYDBJERG (GUE/NGL)
Ms TSETSI/Mr BROUWER/Mr LINAZASORO (Greens/EFA)
Ms LALOUX/Mr TEUSCHER (EFDD)
Mr CLAEYSI/Mr CAMPOMENOSI (ENF)
Mr BORDEZ (NI)
Ms SCHADE, Ms KOSTIDOU, Ms BERTULESSI, Mr ROHLJE and Mr VAUGIER acted as secretaries to the meeting.
1. Adoption of the draft agenda
The Conference of Presidents
- noted and adopted the draft agenda in the form shown in these minutes (PE 615.711/CPG).
2. Approval of the draft Minutes of the meeting of 6 December 2017
The Conference of Presidents
- noted and approved the draft Minutes of the ordinary meeting of 6 December 2017 held in Brussels (PE612.718/CPG and annex).
3. Adoption of the final draft agenda for the January part-session (from 15 to 18 January 2018) – Scheduling of key debates in plenary
The Conference of Presidents
- noted the following documents:
· the draft agenda for the January part-session (from 15 to 18 January 2018) in Strasbourg, as adopted by the Conference of Presidents on 14December2017 by written procedure;
· a final table dated 9 January 2018 summarising committee and delegation meetings planned for the January part-session (from 15 to 18 January 2018) in Strasbourg (PE615.769);
- held an exchange of views with the participation of Mr GONZÁLEZ PONS, acting Chair of the EPP Group, Mr PITTELLA, Chair of the S&D Group, Ms IN’TVELD, acting Chair of the ALDE Group, and Mr LAMBERTS, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA Group, and adopted, after a vote, the draft agenda for the January 2018 part-session without modification.
4. Communications by the President
4.1 Date of the European Elections in 2019
The Conference of Presidents
- heard the President recall that, at its meeting on 6 December 2017, he had invited Group Chairs to reflect on possible dates for the European Elections in 2019 with a view to formulating a joint position;
- unanimously agreed that the electoral period should be set from 23 to 26 May 2019;
- heard the President undertake to inform the Council Presidency, the European Council and the Commission of Parliament’s position.
5. Inter-parliamentary relations with Russia - exchange of views with the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee
The Conference of Presidents
- heard the President recall that inter-parliamentary relations with Russia had been suspended since 2015 and heard him welcome Mr McALLISTER, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr KARAS, Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, and Ms HARMS, Chair of the Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, for an exchange of views;
- heard Mr McALLISTER report on the background of the inter-parliamentary relations with Russia and on the state of play of EU-Russia relations; and heard him elaborate on possible options with a view to the inter-parliamentary relations with Russia;
- heard Mr KARAS emphasize the implications of the Russian blacklist and the EU sanctions against Russia;
- heard Ms HARMS express concern about Russia's ongoing disinformation campaigns and the role of individual media representatives;
- held and exchange of views with the participation of Mr GONZÁLEZ PONS, acting Chair of the EPP Group, Mr FLECKENSTEIN, acting Chair of the S&D Group, Mr KAMALL, Co-Chair of the ECR Group, Ms IN’T VELD, acting Chair of the ALDE Group, Ms ZIMMER, Chair of the GUE/NGL Group, Mr LAMBERTS, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA Group, and MrBAY, Co-Chair of the ENF Group, focussed, inter alia, on the following issues:
• the implementation of the Minsk agreements,
• the Russian blacklisting of Members of the European Parliament,
• individual contacts between Members of the European Parliament and Members of the Russian State Duma and the Federation Council in the past,
• the EU sanctions against Russia,
• the need to stand firm on principles;
- heard the President propose that Mr McALLISTER, Mr KARAS and Ms HARMS submit to the Conference of Presidents, after the presidential elections in Russia in March 2018, a recommendation with a view to Parliament’s approach to the inter-parliamentary relations with Russia, and to return to the matter at a subsequent meeting;
- endorsed the President’s proposal.
6. Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality, and “Doing Less More Efficiently” - exchange of views
The Conference of Presidents
- took note of the following documents:
· a letter dated 14 November 2017 from Mr JUNCKER, President of the European Commission, on the decision to create a Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and “Doing Less More Efficiently” (PE 612.758/CPG);
· a letter dated 30 November 2017 from Mr SVOBODA, Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs, on Parliament’s participation in the Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and “Doing Less More Efficiently” (PE 615.706/CPG);
· the Inter-institutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Commission on Better Law-Making (OJ L 123, 12.5.2016);
- heard the President recall that, as set out in relevant precedents, the Conference of Presidents had, on previous occasions, reiterated its position whereby no Member of Parliament should take part, in any capacity, in working groups or advisory fora set up by the Commission, where these bodies dealt with subject matters in which Parliament was co-legislator;
- held an exchange of views with the participation of Mr GONZÁLEZ PONS, acting Chair of the EPP Group, Mr PITTELLA, Chair of the S&D Group, Mr KAMALL, Co-Chair of the ECR Group, Ms IN’T VELD, acting Chair of the ALDE Group, Ms ZIMMER, Chair of the GUE/NGL Group, Mr LAMBERTS, Co-Chair of the Greens/EFA Group, Mr LUNDGREN, acting Chair of the EFDD Group, and Mr BAY, Co-Chair of the ENF Group, during which reservations were expressed about Parliament’s assigned role and participation in the task force;
- heard the President summarise the debate by noting that Parliament had set out its vision on the future of Europe in three key resolutions adopted on 16 February 2017, and that a participation in the task force would disregard Parliament’s institutional role and standing as the only directly elected Institution of the European Union, representing the citizens at Union level and exercising functions of political control of the Commission;
- decided unanimously to decline the invitation to participate in the task force.
7. Requests from parliamentary committees to draw-up own-initiative reports under Rule52, and requests for application of Rule 54, and related requests
The Conference of Presidents, without debate
- took note of a letter dated 13 December 2017 from Ms WIKSTRÖM, Chair of the Conference of Committee Chairs (CCC), submitting requests from parliamentary committees for authorisation to draw-up own-initiative reports under Rules 45, 52 and 83 and requests for the application of Rule 54 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure (PE 615.730/CPG and annexes).;
- noted the request for authorisation for one own-initiative report under the right of initiative conferred on Parliament by the Treaties from the LIBE Committee on the situation of the rule of law and democracy in Poland (pursuant to the European Parliament resolution of 15 November 2017) and, in view of a further consideration of the matter at an upcoming LIBE coordinator meeting, withheld the authorisation to draw up the report;
- noted the request for authorisation for one legislative own-initiative report under heading A (subject to authorisation and out of quota) from the ECON Committee entitled “Tax treatment of pension products, including the pan-European Personal Pension Product” and authorised it to be drawn up;
- took note of the requests for authorisation for seven non-legislative own-initiative reports under heading C (subject to authorisation and quota) from the AFET(SEDE), DEVE, INTA, CONT, ECON, IMCO and JURI Committees, and authorised them to be drawn up;