Brief items for which space was lacking in earlier editions
*** EU/Albania: The Greek press agency ANA says that, at a meeting behind closed doors of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Greek Foreign Minister Georges Papandreou said that Greece would raise the issue of the "democratic deficit" in Albania before all relevant EU bodies, and that it may also review its stance on Community funding programmes in Albania. The spokesman for the Greek Government, Dimitris Reppas, for his part, said that, at the next EU General Affairs Council (20 November), Greece would be raising the issue of the conducting of the local elections in Albania on 15 October, following irregularities denounced by the Greek minority of Himara.
*** Euro: In an address to businessmen in Seoul, on the fringe of the Asem Summit, Tony Blair said that, were there to be a referendum on the euro in present economic conditions, he would vote "no". In addition, in the pages of "Die Welt", the Chief-Economist of the Deutsche Bank, Norbert Walter, accused the President of the ECB, Wim Duisenberg, of failing his duty: according to him, the "model" of a central banker is Alan Greenspan, the President of the Federal Reserve.
*** Stability Pact/Fry: The Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Bobo Hombach, welcomed the statements made by Fry representatives at the meeting of the Economic Working Table of the Stability Pact, in Istanbul on 16 and 17 October. In Istanbul, the Yugoslav delegation hoped in particular that Belgrade would be admitted in the Stability Pact, saying that Yugoslavia would strictly respect all the agreements signed in that context.
*** EPP/women: At the EPP's Women's Congress (organisation chaired by Doris Pack), held in Brussels last week with the participation in particular of Nicole Fontaine and Wilfried Martens, Branca Raguz, Mediator for Bosnia-Herzegovina, said that, since its creation, her office had been referred 300,000 requests, whereas Stasa Zajovic, from Belgrade and member of the international "Women in Black Network Against War", explained the role her organisation played, and Gabriela Radu, Romanian parliamentarian specialist in equal opportunity issues, pleaded in favour of "positive discrimination" for women.
*** EP/Italy/racism: The recent demonstration organised by the Lega Nord in Lodi to protest against the construction of a Mosque led to strong reactions from the President of the EP Socialist Group, Enrique Baron, concerned at the support provided by the members of Forza Italia to that initiative. "What the Italian Right is doing is extremely serious", he said, also citing the negative vote by Silvio Berlusconi, in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, yet which was drawn up "with the active support of the EPP as well as Forza Italia representative Piero Melograni. Mr. Baron wants to know of the President of the EPP Group, Mr. Poettering, how it is possible to reconcile the presence of Forza Italia in the EPP with his Group's solemn declaration against racism and xenophobia.
*** EP/Asem: British liberal-Democrat Graham Watson, who followed the Seoul Summit as observer, welcomed the freeing of James Mawdsley (one of his electors) who had been imprisoned in Burma and treated, his said, "appallingly".
*** Austria/FPO: Following the defeat of the FPO in the regional elections of Styria (4.7 points down) on 15 October, Jorg Hairder accused the OVP (which gained 11 points) of "double play". "I shall not stand by as our ministers are welcomed with the politeness of the Chinese, whereas they are being stabbed in the back", he said. As for FPO President Susanne Riess-Passer, Vice-Chancellor, she has threatened to pull the Party out of the coalition if the government was put into question. The FPO is accusing the Governor of Styria (OVP) of having campaigned against austerity measures approved at federal level.
*** Commission/ecology: The "Passive and Low Energy Architecture" prize, for architectural projects integrating environmental concerns, was awarded by Cambridge University to the architects responsible for reconstructing the Berlaymont Building in Brussels, which will again be occupied by the Commission in 2002, after years of work, especially to eradicate 1.4 tonnes of asbestos. The project undertaken by "Art and Build" comprises a "climate" façade allowing for energy savings and the removal of smoke and gas.
*** Biarritz Summit/media: Europe's commercial broadcasters welcomed certain conclusions of the informal Summit of Biarritz. Thus, Jan Mojto, President of the Association of Commercial Television (ACT), welcomed the approval of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which, he stressed, recognises the fundamental right of media freedom.