Brussels, 15/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Permanent Representatives of the member countries decided on Wednesday to follow, without amendments, the European Commission's recommendation of last week (see EUROPE of 10 March, p.5), and to open (by end June) membership negotiations with the six new applicant countries ("Helsinki Group") on the following chapters of acquis communautaire: Romania: 5 chapters: small and medium-sized companies, research, education, external relations, common foreign and security policy (CFSP); Bulgaria: 6 chapters: small and medium-sized enterprise, research, education, external relations, CFSP, culture and audiovisual policy; Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia: 8 chapters: small and medium-sized enterprise, research, education, external relations, CFSP, competition policy, statistics, culture and audiovisual policy; Malta: 8 chapters: small and medium-sized enterprise, research, education, external relations, CFSP, industrial policy, telecommunications, culture and audiovisual policy.
The first negotiating meeting at deputy level will be held on 28 March.