The committee adopted the report by Bartho PRONK (EPP-ED, NL) amending the proposal under the consultation procedure. It said that the Committee should pay particular attention to poverty issues and to progress in social inclusion, and should aim for a "more structured engagement in its working methods" with NGOs working with people affected by poverty. The principle of gender mainstreaming should also be emphasised in connection with the Committee's duties.
The committee was concerned to ensure that Parliament was suitably involved, and therefore wanted the Committee to include a specific chapter, containing Parliament's points of view on social protection matters, in its reports, opinions and other works. Moreover, it called for the establishment of an information process which would enable Parliament to follow matters up on a regular basis. MEPs also wanted to see a regular process for informing and consulting representatives of the applicant countries.
The report also underlined the EP Budget Committee's traditional position on commitology, saying that expenses should be reimbursed for one representative per Member State only, in order to keep costs down. Lastly, the committee specified that Member States and the Commission must ensure that gender balance is respected in the composition of delegations.�