EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: PAT COX MAKES HIS MARK AS PRESIDENT.

The start of Pat Cox's Presidential term has been hallmarked by an unprecedented change in the Parliament's institutional rights, which the President is generally determined to uphold. Breaking with tradition, Mr Cox has brushed aside the opinion of his Legal Service and is refusing to challenge in the Court of Justice the change the Council made to the legal basis when it adopted the European Company Statute (see European Report 2657, Section III). Another institutional concession the Parliament has allowed under Mr Cox's leadership is the adoption of the von Wogau (EPP, Germany) report approving the procedure outlined by the Lamfalussy report to speed up the plan for integrated financial markets. This Parliament is therefore being deprived of the "callback" clause it was seeking to give MEPs a chance to review legislation (see European Report 2657; 226). As far as Mr Cox is concerned, the Parliament has managed to get something in exchange for these concessions. He appears to have persuaded Jose Maria Aznar, the Spanish Prime Minister, whose country now holds the EU's rotating Presidency, to allow the Parliament to play a bigger part in the way the Lisbon process is conducted.In practice, this should lead to the creation in due course of an inter-institutional group in charge of considering legislative issues linked to this process and, more generally, to the development of the Internal Market. Nonetheless, the European Commission still has to reveal its plans in this area, given the risk of its right to take initiatives in this realm being challenged. However, Mr Cox is hoping to be able to make his mark during the March 15-16 EU Summit in Barcelona. Consequently, rather than heading off straight after he has made a speech to EU leaders, he will be staying on in the Catalan capital during the two-day meeting so as take part in the negotiations that are bound to take place behind the scenes on the tricky issue of the timetable and procedures for opening up the energy and transport markets. Mr Cox is also being allowed by Mr Aznar to take part in the March 20 session to make a review of the EU Summit and make a statement about the state of the Union.Enlargement.In his speech to the plenary session, Mr Cox spoke about the prospect of a generational challenge set by enlargement, which should become a reality during his presidential term, according to the timetable laid down. He said that MEPs from the new Member States should be able to take...