The decision was taken by the so-called Conference of Presidents on 14 December 2005 following a joint meeting of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the External Affairs (AFET) Committee to discuss the issue on 12 December and a debate in the Parliament's plenary earlier on 14 December. A day earlier, the Council of Europe's rapporteur on the alleged CIA flights, the Swiss Dick Marty, had presented a report calling the claims "credible". The debate will be followed by a resolution, to be adopted by the Parliament on 15 December.
Speaking in the Parliament debate, Commission vice president Franco Frattini warned against setting up a parliamentary committee. "There is no evidence confirming allegations that have been made," the commissioner said. "Finding out the truth means getting evidence. No accusations can be considered founded without evidence," he said, adding that in the absence of evidence he had to believe the denials from some European governments.
The committee's mandate will be subject to negotiations to be held in the coming weeks. It is likely to be shaped along the lines of the committee that investigated the Echelon global interception system run by the US and a number of Anglo-Saxon states in 2000 and 2001. This committee, labelled as a 'temporary committee', not an inquiry committee, had fairly limited powers. It could only invite, not summon witnesses, and its mandate included "possibly, to make proposals for political and legislative initiatives". Some recommendations were made in the report it drafted, which confirmed allegations that the interception system existed and was a threat to European industry and to citizen's privacy. This has, however, not stopped the UK from taking part in the system.
