13/11/25 (Agence Europe) – With just a few days to go before the opening of the eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP11), scheduled for Monday 17 November, the EU Member States are still struggling to reach a common position. After two unsuccessful attempts during meetings of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) on Wednesday 5 and 12 November, the Union’s position for COP11 will be examined again by Coreper on Friday 14 November. According to several diplomatic sources, a minimum position could finally emerge, to avoid the EU going to COP11 without a voice. Some delegations want a more cautious approach to control measures, while others want the EU to play a leading role in tobacco control, according to a European source (see EUROPE 13748/9). (LC)