20/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - On the occasion of the closure of a colloquium organised in Brussels on "Associations and Tomorrow's Europe", Nicole Fontaine, European Parliament President, considered that, following the agreement of the European Council of Nice on the status of European companies, "the status of European association now has the chance of seeing the light of day". Ms. Fontaine, who was the EP's first rapporteur on the European association, recalled that the Commission had responded positively to an EP initiative along these lines, and had proposed three directives (which have however been on the Council's table since 1993…). The presence of so many associations coming from applicant countries for EU membership shows the "European dimension of the associative sector and its validity throughout Europe", said Fontaine.