Pöttering deelt IGC standpunt EP mee over Europees Verdrag (en)

European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering, who is taking part in the whole of the informal European Council in Lisbon, spoke at this afternoon's session to present the European Parliament's position on the treaty reform. "It is now up to members of the European Council to take a decision here in Lisbon, to achieve a result in keeping with the European Union's ambitions", said the President.

In his address, Mr Pöttering underlined the following points:

• 1. 

  On the question of the allocation of seats in Parliament for the next legislature, the European Parliament, as requested by the European Council of June this year, adopted by a large majority and in good time for the Lisbon summit, a proposed distribution of seats which complies with the thresholds and principles laid down in the draft Reform Treaty, namely: the European Parliament will have a maximum of 750 Members, no Member State may have more than 96 Members or fewer than 6, and the principle of degressive proportionality is observed. Under Parliament's proposal, no Member State would lose seats by comparison with the provisions laid down in the current treaties.

However, this new allocation of seats will take effect only if the new treaty enters into force. The two decisions are inseparably linked.

Moreover, the European Parliament urges that, by 2014, the possibility be considered of replacing the current method of calculation, which uses the population of each country, with one that uses the number of European citizens, instead.

• 2. 

  The European Parliament is against in any way enshrining the Ioannina compromise in the treaties, because this would weaken the EU's decision-taking capacity.

• 3. 

  Parliament considers that the appointment of the future High Representative for external relations and Vice-President of the European Commission must take place in parallel with the investiture of the future Commission, and hence after the European elections of June 2009.

An appointment before this date could compromise the inter-institutional balance, the Commission President's prerogative of taking part in choosing members of the college and Parliament's prerogative of approving all the members of the new Commission.

• 4. 

  With regard to personal data protection in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the European Parliament is against citizens' protection not being guaranteed by national or European judicial process.

• 5. 

  Finally, on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Parliament reiterates that this is a text that serves the interests of citizens, and which must be formally endorsed the presidents of the three institutions in December, before the treaty is signed.