Brief items for which space was lacking in earlier issues
*** IMF/ECB: If the Mr. Trichet governor of the "Banque de France" "made a sacrifice and accepted to join the IMF management," would "you be ready to make a sacrifice and carry out the eight year mandate?" (with the ECB). Last Thursday the President of the European Central Bank Mr. Duisberg (who must in principle cede his position to Mr. Trichet at the start of 2002) answered this question: "Though, independently from Mr. Trichet, I already have the will to sacrifice myself."
*** EU/France/The Netherlands: During the Franc-Dutch Summit, last week in The Hague, the Prime Minister Wim Kok told the press that "institutional reform remains the main priority in view of the enlargement of the EU" and the French Presidency "can count on our full support." As for resident Chirac, he asserts that France and the Netherlands" are part of the leading group in Europe," and that the Netherlands are "an important country" in the building of Europe. The President also declared that their opinions have also converged with regard to European defence.
*** EU/France/Germany: The Franco-German working group formed on the initiative of Mr. Bockel met last week under the Presidency of Mr. Barrau, President of the National Assembly's Delegation to the European Union, to discuss the priorities of the future French Presidency of the European Union's Council. Among the themes debated by the French and German Parliamentarians was the issues of strengthened co-operation, subsidiarity and the attitudes against Austria. A new meeting is foreseen in Berlin before the start of the French Presidency, next July 1.
*** ECB/OECD: In a report on the first year existence of the Euro, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) criticised the lack of clarity in the messages from the European Central Bank
towards the outside. The report added that one of the difficulties, especially during the first quarter 1999, was the inability to speak with a single voice, or at least through a single message, with regard to the interest rates for the Euro.
*** EP/Euro: Member of the ÖVP, Othmar Karas, European Parliament rapporteur on the information campaign for the introduction of the Euro, last week met the President of the ECB Wim Duisberg. The Austrian MEP underlined that the Euro remains unknown and who described himself as "worried" over the lack of information that he sees with European consumer organisations.
*** EP/Youth: The Vice-President of the EP Renzo Imberi last week congratulated himself over the success of the conciliation of the Youth programme, noting that this was the third conciliation that directly or indirectly concerned European Youth that was undertaken during the last month. He noted that the resources could have been greater and certain Member States could have "shown greater availability" towards it.
*** EP/Death penalty: The President of the European Parliament, Nicole Fontaine, commented on the execution of Odell Barnes in Huntsville prison in the State of Texas on the night of the 1 to 2 March asserting that "this race for executions in the election period is revolting."
*** EP/Kashmir: A committee for Kashmir made up of MEPs from different parties was formed last week in Brussels. This was done on the initiative of British conservative James Elles, who co-presides this committee with two other British MEPs, the Liberal Democrat Liz Lynne and Labour Gary Titley. The creation of this new committee was announced during a meeting of the Kashmir Freedom Movement Presided over by Ghulam Hussain.
*** EP/Women: In a letter addressed to the EP President, Marianne Eriksson (GU/NGL, Sweden) worries about the rise of, in the last two years, prostitution in Strasbourg. She states that this is organised at a continental level and that this network "supplied" from Central and Eastern European countries. She also recalled the fight lead by the Parliament for the rights of women and against trafficking of human beings, Mrs Eriksson indicated that she wanted to broach the subject through a a question of order, during the opening of the next plenary session, in March, in Strasbourg.
*** EU/United Kingdom/Friends of Europe: In the framework of the regular meetings organised by "Friends of Europe" (organisations Presided over by Etienne Davignon former European Commissioner), Mark Leonard, Director of the The Foreign Policy Centre think-tank, presented in Brussels his report "Network Europe - The New Case for Europe." The author outlines a "new agenda for reform" for Europe, asserting that the classic debate between Federalist Europe and a simple free-trade area is outdated, and especially noted that the combination between representational and direct democracy should enable citizens take be more involved in an EU that they want for the coming century. (Address: The Foreign Policy Centre, Panton House, 25 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4EN T0171 925 1800).