Týdeník Veřejná správa

Brush Up Your English (Slovníček)

Slovak president joins sceptics on European Parliament

Vyšlo v čísle 50/2005

The Slovak president has joined Czech and Finnish colleagues in calling for a major overhaul of the European Parliament
Speaking to German daily Die Welt, Ivan Gasparovic suggested the European Parliament in its current form was a "mammoth" and should rather consist of national MPs. "I see the biggest problem [as being] in the relationship between the European Parliament and national parliaments", he said, adding that having MPs who also sit in national assemblies would mean that the Brussels institution would deal with the real concerns of citizens.
to join – připojit se, přidat se, spojit to call for – volat po, dovolávat se čeho major – hlavní, zásadní overhaul –oprava, renovace, změna to suggest – navrhnout current –současný form – podoba mammoth – mamut, gigant should – měl by (modální sloveso) rather – raději to consist of – skládat se z MP = Member of Parliament – poslanec biggest – největší relationship – vztah national – národní to add – dodat, přidat assembly – shromáždění to mean – znamenat to deal with –zabývat se concern – zájem, starost

Mr Gasparovic argued the plenary session would in that case only need to be held four times a year in Strasbourg, with no need for the Brussels or Luxembourg seats. "Here we could save billions, that could be used more meaningfully", he said. Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja recently expressed a similar idea, explaining that the European Parliament should be selected from among members of national assemblies to make it more representative and responsible.
to argue – tvrdit, argumentovat, diskutovat plenary session – plenární zasedání in case – v případě to need – potřebovat to hold a session – konat zasedání seat – sedadlo, místo, křeslo, post to save – ušetřit meaningfully – smysluplně foreign minister – ministr zahraničí recently – nedávno to express sth – vyjádřit co similar – podobný to select – vybírat, volit from among – mezi, z vice responsible – zodpovědný

Meanwhile, Czech president Vaclav Klaus is promoting the concept of an "Organization of European States" whose members would be individual member states rather than their citizens, represented directly through institutions such as the current European Parliament. The European Parliament was made up of national MPs until 1979, when it had its first direct elections. With each new EU treaty, the body has seen its powers increased. The frozen EU constitution represented the greatest increase in powers for the parliament to date.

meanwhile – mezi tím to promote – podporovat, prosazovat whose – jejíž, jehož member – člen individual – samostatný rather –raději než, spíše než citizen – občan directly – přímo through – skrz, pomocí such as – jako například current – současný to be made up – skládat se, být sestaven z MP = Member of Parliament = poslanec direct elections – přímé volby each –každý treaty – smlouva, dohoda power – moc to increase – vzrůstat frozen – zmrazený constitution – ústava greatest –největší to date – do dneška