Brussels, 10/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - As we mentioned, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is continuing his round of the capitals next week in preparation for the Special Summit of Lisbon of 23 and 24 March, going to Brussels, Berlin and Strasbourg.
The President of the European Council, who will be accompanied in his talks by the Secretary General of the Council, Javier Solana, will meet Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel in Brussels Monday morning. Mr. Guterres will then move on to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schoeder. Mr. Schuessel will give a press conference in Brussels late Monday morning. After Berlin, Mr. Guterres will be in Strasbourg, where he will set out before the European Parliament, meeting in plenary, the Portuguese Presidency's priorities for the Lisbon Summit (see other article page 12) and where, at 20.00 hrs., he will have a meeting with Parliament President Nicole Fontaine.
You may recall that, other than the Portuguese Presidency and the European Commission, several Member States have provided contributions to the European Council of Lisbon, and that on Monday, the EcoFin Council and the Social affairs Council will finalise their own (see other articles, pages 6 and 7). Coordination of all these contributions will be the work of the Presidency, and then at European Council level itself.