Brussels, 13/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Treaty of Nice will be accompanied by two contradictory declarations on the duration of next package on European regional policy. Spain, Greece and Portugal stipulate that this new period of planning should last 7 years, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark answer that no duration should as yet be set.
This new planning period will anyway begin in January 2007 and be adopted through unanimity, Spain having, at the European Council of Nice, opposed any idea that the package should be adopted through a qualified majority. From 1 January 2007, however, qualified majority will be in force for regional policy. Knowing that the duration of a regional package is aligned on that of the EU's financial framework, Spain, Greece and Portugal, who apparently want to ensure that a short-term regional package will not be adopted through unanimity before rapidly moving to another regional package adopted by a qualified majority, have presented a declaration stipulating that their agreement for the transition to qualified majority in 2007 was made on the basis that the financial perspectives applicable from 1 January 2007 and the relevant interinstitutional agreement should have a duration that will be identical to that of the current financial perspectives, that is, seven years. In response, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark recently marked their disagreement with another statement, whereby these countries specify that the declaration of the three Mediterranean cohesion fund countries does not bind the European Commission, mainly concerning its right of initiative.
The Treaty of Nice will be signed on 26 February in Nice. The Member States are free to add declarations to any point of the text.