Brussels, 22/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council held a debate on the financial perspectives in the light of ideas put forward by the European Commission in the field of external aid. This debate was qualified as "very important" by the Council's Chairman, Portuguese Minister Jaime Gama. At a press conference, Commissioner Chris Patten said that he had introduced the subject over twenty minutes, the debate having continued informally for an hour-an-a-half over lunch. The Fifteen, he said, thus debated "the whole question of a more efficient management of the Community budget" in the field of the EU's external actions, on the basis of his brief which, he said, was "well received". In addition, Mr. Patten added, it was suggested that each Presidency of the Council should in future provide for an "expose of the same nature, to assess progress made in the reforms and in the carrying out of the EU's obligations". During this exchange of views, the Commissioner added, "we provided a much more important political tone". He then stressed the need to be "clearer regarding priorities chosen and the allocation of resources", his hope being that the process which has just begun (he recalled the "important role" played by the EcoFin Council in this matter) of having, "within a year, a programme focused on what Member states and the European Commission consider to be the Union's priority tasks". Mr. Patten stressed at length the need for better adequacy between the EU's ambitions and promises on the one hand and realities on the other. Over the past ten years, he observed, there has been a trebling of external aid without a parallel increase in personnel to manage it. "It is essential to reduce the gap between commitments and payments", the "challenge consisting in paying".
The Council also broached the following points briefly: a) preparations for the European Council of Feira; b) the statute of Euro-MPs, State Secretary Seixas da Costa having breifed them on his contacts with EP representatives.