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PROPOSALS FOR A BETTER PARLIAMENT
STOP THE CORONATION OF PRESIDENTS STOP THE D’HONDT SYSTEM STOP THE TRAVELLING CIRCUS STOP WASTING TIME ON BAD VOTING GIVE ME THE CHANCE TO SPEAK
Dear MEP, In January 2007 we will elect – by secret ballot – a President whose name we have all known for over 2 years. Let us call this a coronation, not an election. In question is not the candidate, but the system that will appoint him. Read our 5 proposals for a more democratic European Parliament. You may view the full programme online at www.FairChair.eu where you are welcome to add suggestions and comments.
STOP THE CORONATION OF PRESIDENTS
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Let’s elect a neutral President, not confirm an arrangement
Since the first legislature in 1979, when the EP President started being elected instead of being appointed, the two biggest groups have generally decided who should become president. The last agreement of this unholy alliance was for the 2004-2009 legislature, when Josep Borrell Fontelles (PSOEES-PSE) and Hans-Gert Pöttering (CDU-D-EPP) were appointed for the two half-terms. It is this agreement that will appoint the next President, not the coming election. A pluralist, multinational assembly like the European Parliament deserves better than Presidents who are obliged to serve the structures that appointed them. There is no majority government here. This Parliament must be a debating place chaired by an impartial President. The European Parliament is our common work place. We deserve an election system where the best qualified for a post has a fair chance to be elected. We propose that all qualified candidates are nominated, for a genuine debate to emerge and for real election campaigns to be held before our vote in January.
STOP THE D’HONDT SYSTEM
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Let’s ensure fair representation
The D’Hondt system of calculation, which dates back to 1878, was aimed at preserving the “stability of the regime” and is therefore a system that very much favours bigger parties. That is why today the European Parliament is governed like a holding company, where the biggest delegations in the two biggest groups run the entire institution. This is the system that this parliament applies systematically for the composition of its Bureau. The D’Hondt system enables the exclusion of smaller groups from the Bureau, which is the managing board of the Parliament for, among others, its finances and administration, staff, order in the plenary and even the management of “Plan D – For Democracy, Dialogue and Debate”. We have long been protesting against the under-representation of smaller groups in the management of parliament. This is not democracy at work. Democracy also means giving minorities the chance to play a role. Let us drop D’Hondt in favour of a fairer method. Even within the Socialist and Christian Democrat groups, the smaller delegations would have a much better chance to propose a vice-president, or to obtain the rapporteurship for interesting reports. MEPs in general would have a much better chance to be a member of an interesting committee or delegation of their OWN choice instead of taking what is left after the lion’s share. Our next President must ensure that the D’Hondt system is replaced by a democratic alternative system that ensures fair representation.
brussels
€200,000,000 SPENT EVERY YEAR
STOP THE TRAVELLING CIRCUS
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Let’s have one efficient work place
We are tired of being moved around between two seats in two cities.
strasbourg
This does not add to efficiency and amounts to a waste of taxpayers’ money. Our next President must lead the fight for one parliamentary seat before the European elections in June 2009. This process can start when we discuss our calendar for 2008.
STOP WASTING TIME ON BAD VOTING
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Let’s prepare the votes better
The voting process has become a mass production run by assistants and influenced by lobbyists. It is not controlled efficiently by us, the elected representatives. Our next president should ensure that the committees prepare for our voting in a much better way, with enough time for us to consult our voters before we take decisions on their behalf. It has been proposed to punish MEPs who do not sit in the hemicycle for certain important debates. But Members must be allowed to plan accordingly and should not suffer any economic sanction when they are absent during debates in which they have no right to speak. Members can be punished by the voters, but not by other MEPs, or the Parliament and its services. Clearly, it should be the next President’s aim to encourage and start a debate about the revision of the rules of procedures. Only an impartial president would be able to chair the organisational and voting processes smoothly and fairly.
GIVE ME THE CHANCE TO SPEAK
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Let’s guarantee real debate in the plenary
At present, Members have the right to speak every Monday in Strasbourg on a topic decided by the Member concerned. This was one of the achievements of the last Fair Chair campaign.
We also won the right to have real debates on some important issues. But this promise has been diluted. Last year we had only a few debates in which ‘catch the eye’ contributions were possible. This year only one! Our next President should organise major debates in every plenary meeting where ALL members have the possibility to intervene. Only an impartial president can ensure that the diverse views of the peoples we represent are reflected in genuine debates.
Only a neutral president can introduce
fair representation and ensure its effectiveness. The election of a neutral president can only happen if all groups agree to let our parliament perform its democratic role to the full and allow free debate aimed at electing the most eligible and impartial candidate to chair our parliament. We are sure that you also have many good ideas on how to improve our daily work in Parliament and attract the voters. You are welcome to make your comments and suggestions on www.FairChair.EU. Here you can find the full programme, as well as arguments, information and statistics on representation, the decisionmaking process and the need for transparency.
Published by www.fairchair.eu European Parliament, rue Wiertz 60, 1047 Brussels