Brussels, 30/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - As usual with a change of Council Presidency, the entire European Commission will be making a visit to the capital of the country taking on the Presidency for a review of the agenda for the coming half-year. So on Monday, 3 July, the Commission will be in Paris for this exercise with the French Presidency. President Prodi will first meet the President of the Republic Jacques Chirac (at the Elysée) and then Prime Minister Mr Jospin at the Matignon, in private meetings. In parallel, the different Commissioners will hold bilateral meetings with the ministers responsible for the sectors under their authority. At the end of the morning, Mr Jospin will chair a plenary meeting of the French Government and the Commission, followed by lunch.
This meeting is of double importance: on the one hand, it is expected to confirm the main objectives of the half-year (institutional reform, enlargement, etc.) and to define a strategy for attaining them; on the other, it should clarify the objectives of the different Council compositions, harmonising them with the Commission's initiatives and expectations so as to organise effective cooperation between the two institutions.