16/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - "We have been very surprised with the speed with which the European Commission took the initiatives to draw-up a proposal on the statute and the financing of European political parties, while the Nice Treaty has not yet been ratified", told the press in Strasbourg, the French President of the United Left/Northern Left, Francis Wurtz, wit regards to the Communication that President Prodi must make on Wednesday before the plenary. Mr Wurtz, who recalled that the United Left is not gathered within a single party at European level as with other political formations, felt that the introduction as of 2002 of a European financing for political parties is rather unfortunate in the period of crisis in confidence that the political parties are facing in nearly the all of the Member States.