Brussels, 23/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The conclusions of 22 January's General Affairs Council stipulate that the Swedish Presidency (which, along with the French delegation, announced that the new EU Treaty would be signed in Nice on 26 February) said that technical work to finalise legally and linguistically definitive versions of the texts was progressing well, and that the finished texts were expected to be ready early February.
Furthermore, the Presidency states that it would periodically brief the Council on the way it intends proceeding with launching the wide-ranging public debate, announced in the Declaration of Nice, on Europe's future - debate that, the Council conclusions stipulate, will involve Member States, and national and EU institutions, in view of the European Council of Gothenburg (you may recall that the Swedish Presidency has to submit a report on the subject at that summit, to be held on 15 and 16 June).