Dear Chairperson,

As you may recall, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs regularly hosts a joint meeting with the chairpersons of Foreign Affairs and Defence Committees of the national parliaments. In addition to this practice, we would like to follow up on the initiative taken in July 2007 by the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid of the German Bundestag and to have similar joint meetings held between the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights and the relevant bodies in the national parliaments.

Therefore, as Chairpersons of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and its Subcommittee on Human Rights, we would like to invite you to a joint meeting which will take place in the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, 25 June 2008.

As you can see from the attached programme, there are two main parts to this meeting:

-         During the first part, in the morning, the Committee on Foreign Affairs suggests to discuss with you the ways of improving cooperation between the European Parliament and the national parliaments in order to strengthen the scrutiny of the EU foreign and security policy under the conditions of the Lisbon treaty.

-         The second part, in the afternoon, would focus, under the auspices of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, on the Union' strategy to tackle human rights issues and to look for a way in which the European Parliament and national parliaments can build up a network of mutually supporting activities for the exchange of information and cooperation. In advance of the celebration on 26 June of the International Day against Torture, special attention will be drawn on the fight against torture in the framework of the relevant EU guidelines and in presence of Mr Manfred Nowak, UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

-         To conclude our joint meeting, we would like to invite you for a dinner reception.

With scheduling our meeting for 25 June we are taking advantage of the joint parliamentary meeting set up by the European Parliament Committee on Development for 26 June, which you yourself or some of your colleagues have been invited to attend.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Brussels on 25 June, and would appreciate your reply before 10 June (see annex for contacts and details).

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Hélène FLAUTRE Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights

 

Annexes:

-         Draft Agenda of the Joint Meeting

-         Participation form / contacts to Secretariat