Future of Europe Debate continued

In addition to its Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen, the Convention is composed of:

· 15 representatives of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States (one from each Member State)

· 13 representatives of the Heads of State or Government of the candidate States (1 per candidate State)

· 30 representatives of the national parliaments of the Member States (two from each Member State)

· 26 representatives of the national parliaments of the candidate States (two from each candidate State)

· 16 members of the European Parliament

· 2 representatives of the European Commission

Alternates for each full member state

Representatives from the Economic and Social Committee, Committee of the Regions, the European social partners, and the European Ombudsman are invited to attend as observers.

The Scottish Executive’s key proposals on the Future of Europe include:

· The need to set out the division of powers between the EU on the one hand and Member States and Sub Member State Administrations (SMSAs) on the other.

· The development of a Statement of Subsidiarity Principles and the introduction of an independent, subsidiarity watchdog to ensure the important principle of subsidiarity is better applied in the EU;

· Requirement for assessment of the potential financial impact of EU legislation compared to the value of the benefits;

· Greater involvement for SMSAs in the EU decision-making process;

· European Commission should consult with implementing authorities at the pre-legislative stage, based on a code of practice;

· Greater use of framework proposals rather than rigid legislation to allow flexible implementation that is sensitive to local and regional circumstances.

· Review of the role and status of the Committee of the Regions

· Operation of the Commission should be constrained by the strict observance of the following:

· act within limits of powers conferred by Treaties;

· the principle of subsidiarity;

· the principle of proportionality;

· obligation to respect national identity of Member States, which includes identity/cultural diversity of the regions.

Enhance the accountability, effectiveness, proximity and transparency of the European