Athens, 31/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Secretary General of the Greek Foreign Ministry responsible for European Affairs, Stelios Perrakis, spoke during an interview published on Sunday by the ANA Agency of the main themes fo the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference on EU instituional reform. He mainly stressed that Greece is in favour of strictly keeping to the principle of "institutional equality" among Member States. The decisions to be taken on the weighting of votes in Council should not bring about a "dominant position" by the large countries to the detriment of the small countries, said Mr Perrakis, for whom any "corrective moves" of the current system should take this fundamental principle into account. Greece, he said, moreover, firmly supports the "right of each member-state to appoint a Commissioner and it does not accept the distinction of Commissioners between those havign a protfolio and those who do not". Regarding "strengthened jcooperation", Mr Perrakis confirmed Greek's reservation, and noted that the Treaty of Amsterdam also has provisions on this which have not, moreover, yet been applied. Greece is open to all discussion on the extension of qualified majrotiy, he said, insisting on keeping unanimity for ceratin issues, mainly of a constituional kind. Mr Perrakis also pointed out that Greece has, for example, a positive position concerning the attribution of legal personality to the EU. Generally speaking, he stressed, Athens hopes that the next IGC will result in strengthening not only of the democratic legitimacy of the European Union, but also of its foreign policy, the role of the citizen and the area of freedom, security and justice in Europe.
Greece has, moreover, chosen Panayotis (Takis) Ioakimidis as its representative at the IGC Preparation Group chaired by Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs Francisco Seixas da Costa, which should held at least ten meetings before the European Council in June this year. Professor Ioakimidis has mainly given lectures on European affairs and instituions at the University of Athens and was "Visting Professor" in several European and American universities. Since 1978, he has been adviser in European affairs at the Foreign Ministry and has played an active role in practically all the ma!in European negotiations, includign accession negotiaitons for Greece for EU membership, and the Intergovernmetnal Conferences on the European Single Act, the Maastricht Treaty and the Amsterdam tReaty.
EUROPE has reason to believe that, like the previous IGC, several Member States will be represented at the Preparatory group by their Permanent Representatives with the EU (see in EUROPE for 24/25 January, p.6, for the provisional timetable of the Preparatory Group).