Munich, 18/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - Edmund Stoiber, Minister President of Bavaria (CSU President), stated in a press release that he considers the meeting with the minister-presidents of the German Länder proposed by Romano Prodi (see EUROPE of 15 April, p.3) has "the same significance as the first meeting of ministers-presidents with the Commission president of the time, Jacques Delors, in the mid eighties". Stakes include "a new architecture of Europe and the precise defining of powers" between the various levels of government in Europe, states Mr Stoiber. Romano Prodi "wants political autonomy of regions to be the important element of the European integration process", he says, recalling that the conference of ministers-presidents (Ed.: currently presided by Bremen) had clearly stated during its meeting on 24 and 25 March in Berlin that the Bundesrat's approval of the result of the Intergovernmental Conference depended on taking into account the request of Länder to obtain a clearer definition of powers between the EU and Member States.