Gothenburg, 14/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - European Council President Goran Persson, we know, cited inhis letter to the participants in the Gothenburg Summit the location of the EU's new specialized agencies among the subjects that could be raised by the European Council. The main question that arises is in fact that of the headquarters of the future European Food Authority, for which Helsinki, Barcelona, Parma and Lille are candidates. Italy would prefer that the decision, that must in fact concern a "package" concerning several agencies, be postponed. Finnish Prime minister Paavo Lipponen, on the other hand, intends demanding, on Friday, during the work of the Summit, that it be taken in Gothenburg. Finland emphasizes in this context that postponing such a decision would diminish the Union's credibility in public opinion that demands greater assurance regarding food safety, and, moreover, recalls the agreement of the European Council of Edinburgh by which, when determining the headquarters of the new agencies, priority would be given to Member States that still do not host any of the Union's specialized bodies (see EUROPE of 13 June, p.10 for the vote in the European Parliament on the future Food Authority).