JOINT COMMITTEE ON EUROPEAN AFFAIRS debate -
Tuesday, 21 Oct 2008

Business of Joint Committee.

Chairman

On item No. 2, we will defer the minutes of the meeting of 7 October until the next meeting of the committee. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Item No. 3 concerns correspondence received since the last meeting. Item No. 228 is a letter of thanks from Anton Kokalj, Republic of Slovenia National Assembly. It is proposed to note. Is that agreed? Agreed. Item No. 229 is an email with enclosure from the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny re decisions taken by the joint committee on 7 October. It is proposed to note. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Item No. 230 concerns correspondence which the Ceann Comhairle has received from the National Platform EU Research and Information Centre for notation. Is that agreed? Agreed. I hope all members have read it. I have read it before or similar correspondence. Item No. 231 is a letter from Mr. Petar Pop-Arsvov, Chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia, for notation. Is that agreed? Agreed. Item No. 232 is a press release on the origins of the situation around Abkhazia and South Ossetia which it is proposed to note. Is that agreed?

Deputy Pat Breen

It is very comprehensive.

Chairman

Item No. 233 is correspondence that the Ceann Comhairle has received from the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament for attention. It is proposed to note it. The secretariat has made inquiries with the Office of the Ceann Comhairle to find out what action, if any, has been taken on this proposal. That item is for notation. That is an important area. For the present, it is proposed to note it. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Item No. 234 concerns the eighth interparliamentary meeting on renewable energy and energy efficiency on 7 November 2008, Parliament of Hungary, Budapest. It is proposed to note it. This is a matter for the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. We should also have some regard to it in the context of the future of the European Union so I presume we will receive some correspondence back.

Item No. 235 is an email from the Latvian Embassy inquiring about an informal meeting with Latvian State President, Valdis Zatlers, and possibility for some members of the committee to attend a dinner. Do members wish to make themselves available for an informal meeting? The date suggested is Monday, 3 November, which will be difficult for members. I respectfully suggest that as many members as possible make themselves available. It is inconvenient for me because Monday evening is very busy as I am sure it is for every other member. Also this committee will have a delegation at COSAC at the time and will be out of the country. I ask that as many members as possible attend. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Item No. 236 is a letter from the Parliament of Finland comprising a request to include the proposal for a regulation on public access to EU documents on the agenda of COSAC. This is for noting. It will come back when we go to COSAC. Is that agreed? Agreed. Item No. 237 is an email with attachments from David Morrison about Georgia and Israel. It is proposed to note it. Is that agreed? Agreed.

The joint committee went into private session at 3.03 p.m. and adjourned at 3.10 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 28 October 2008.