1. As discussion has begun within the Convention on matters of substance, the need has emerged to set up working groups to meet the twin aims of investigating a number of specific questions in greater depth and involving the members of the Convention in fundamental work which cannot be done in plenary session.

2. Article 15 of the Working Methods lays down that:
"In the light of views expressed in the Convention, the Chairman or a significant number of the members of the Convention may recommend that the Praesidium set up Convention Working Groups. The Praesidium will determine their mandate, working arrangements and composition, taking into account the specific expertise of members, alternates and observers in relation to the subject under discussion. Every member of the Convention may attend all such meetings. The Secretariat establishes a summary note after each meeting of the working groups.".

3. The discussion in plenary meeting, in particular that of 15 and 16 April, yielded a number of indications in the light of which the Chairman recommended to the Praesidium that working groups should be set up. The Praesidium has agreed to set up six working groups at this stage with the following mandates:

Group 1: How can verification of compliance with the principle of subsidiarity be ensured? Should a verification mechanism or procedure be introduced? Should such a procedure be political and/or judicial in character?

Group 2: If it is decided to include the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Treaty: how should this be done, and what would be the consequences thereof? What would the consequences be of accession by the Community/Union to the European Convention on Human Rights?

Group 3: What would the consequences be of explicit recognition of the legal personality of the EU, and of a fusion of the legal personalities of the EU and the European Community? Might they contribute to simplification of the Treaties?

Group 4: How is the role of national Parliaments carried out in the present architecture of the European Union? What are the national arrangements which function best? Should new mechanisms/procedures be envisaged at national or European level?

Group 5: How should "complementary" competence be treated in future? Should Member States be accorded full competence for matters in which the Union at present has complementary competence, or should the limits of the Union's complementary competence be spelled out?

Group 6: The introduction of the single currency implies closer economic and financial cooperation. What forms might such cooperation take?

4. Concerning the chairmanship of the working groups, the deadline by which each group should reach conclusions to be submitted to the plenary session and the assistance provided by the Secretariat to the working groups' chairmen, the following has been decided. The deadlines set are intended to give further substance to the plenary meetings of the Convention scheduled for September, October and November. For this reason the deadlines differ as shown:

Group 1:
Chairman: Mendez de Vigo
Deadline: September
Secretariat: Arpio, De Poncins

Group 2:
Chairman: Vitorino
Deadline: November
Secretariat: Ladenburger, Bartol

Group 3: Chairman: Amato
Deadline: November
Secretariat: Passos, Bribosia

Group 4: Chairman: Stuart
Deadline: November
Secretariat: van den Heuvel, de Peyron

Group 5: Chairman: Christophersen
Deadline: October
Secretariat: Martinez, Schiavo

Group 6: Chairman: Hänsch
Deadline: October
Secretariat: Pilette, Milton.

5. For the working groups to work effectively, the number of their members should ideally be about 20 to 25, to allow for representation of the different constituent elements and for the fact that any other member of the Convention may attend meetings as laid down in Article 15 of the Working Methods.

6. The guiding criterion for the composition of the working groups, in accordance with Article 15 of the Working Methods, is that of specific expertise, and that criterion applies to members, alternates and observers.
The Praesidium invites Convention members, alternates and observers to express their interest in taking part in any of the working groups, listing them in order of preference where interested in more than one group. This information must be communicated to the Convention Secretariat by Thursday 30 May 2002, for the attention of Ms Martinez Iglesias:
e-mail: maria-jose.martinez-iglesias@consilium.eu.int
Fax: + 32 2 285 5060

7. The composition of the working groups will be determined by the Praesidium on the above basis in order to ensure the necessary balance between constituent elements, and the working groups will be formally established at the plenary meeting on 6 June 2002.

Read the analysis from The European Policy Center
Working groups: ready to go ?
http://www.theepc.be/europe/strand_one_detail.asp?STR_ID=1&REFID=788&TWSEC=Convention%20Intelligence&TWDOSS=