DEPUTY SPEAKER TO ATTEND THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF PARLIAMENT

DEPUTY SPEAKER TO ATTEND THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS OF PARLIAMENT

The Hon. Carmelo Abela, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, will represent the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments to be held in Strasbourg from the 17 to 19 May 2004.  The Conference, hosted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, will bring together more than sixty Presidents and Speakers of the Parliaments of the 45 Member States of the Council of Europe.  

The main theme of the Conference is “ Europe of citizens: parliaments and participation of citizens”. The Conference will discuss the following sub-themes:  

      ·        How democratic is our democracy?
·        Modern technology and democratic procedures
·        Co-operation for more democracy – National Parliaments and European Assemblies  

On the fringes of the Conference, Mr Abela will also participate in a Working Group meeting of EU Speakers in preparation for the forthcoming EU Speakers’ Conference in The Hague in July 2004.  

The Deputy Speaker will be accompanied by Mr Joe Mangion from the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

DOI  14.05.2004