Brussels, 27/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (who will be presiding the European Council on Monday), European Commission President Romano Prodi and Commissioner Michel Barnier, leading the major debate on the future of Europe, met on 26 June, at Palais d'Egmont, the prime ministers or foreign ministers of the thirteen candidate countries (the twelve already negotiating, plus Turkey). This was in no way a meeting devoted to negotiations in progress or resulting in conclusions, but a meeting organised by the Institut Royal des Relations Internationales (IRRI), which allowed the highest political leaders of the candidate countries to present their vision of the Union's future development, and allowed discussion with presidents of the European Council and the Commission. Personalities from the academic world also expressed their views.
Participants mainly included the Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman, of Poland Jerzy Buzek, Slovakia Mikulas Dzurinda, Estonia Mark Laar, Romania Adrian Nastase, Latvia Andris Berzins, and the Foreign Ministers of Hungary Janos Martonyi, Slovenia Dimitri Rupel, Turkey Ismael Cem, Lithuania Antanas Valigny, Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulides, Malta J. Borg and Bulgaria (Deputy Minister) Vladimir Kifsiov. In general, the participants expressed views in favour of a Europe that would go beyond the aims of free trade and economic development and that is as integrated as possible, but with certain nuances and emphasis on certain aspects, as the case may be. Questions of security and the relationship between EU participation and NATO participation were also often mentioned.