Brussels, 11/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission heard the contents of an information paper from Commissioner Gunter Verheugen on the working programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU for enlargement negotiations. The priority objective of the Presidency is to follow the "road map", which means that the EU will have to be able to present definitive common negotiating positions to the candidates on nine chapters: competition, agriculture (veterinary and plant health aspects), fisheries, transport, tax policy, energy, justice and home affairs, customs union, financial control. According to the Commission, it should be possible to close these chapters by the end of the year with all candidate countries prepared to accept the EU's position (several of these chapters have already been closed with some of the more advanced countries). The information note presented to the Commission on Wednesday sets out the state of play in these nine chapters, explaining the different sensitivities and major problems in suspense. Thus, for example, regarding competition, the Commission considers that the practice of State aid, incompatible with the acquis communautaires (but very widespread in candidate countries), will doubtless be the main obstacle to the rapid closure of this chapter with many candidates. Several countries will also have to present a restructuring plan - viable and in compliance with EU rules - for their steel sector, says the Commission. In the field of agriculture, the Commission is considering submitting revised projects of the common positions for the more advanced countries relating to the main technical elements of agricultural policy (but not yet on the more difficult issues, which will only be discussed in 2002: direct aid, market organization, etc.). Consultations on technical issues are scheduled for the autumn with Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania. For transport (chapter that Cyprus has already closed), the Commission envisages taking the general approach apparently recommended by a majority of Member States, which is to grant candidates total market access for international road transport and cabotage, and provide (on a case by case basis, depending requests by candidates) for transitional measures only for certain very specific aspects of the acquis relating to road transport. As for tax policy (chapter that only Hungary has closed), the requests for exemptions by the candidates mostly concern the application of zero rates or reduced rates for certain products (cigarettes, for example) and services. The Commission will make proposals stipulating that they will have to take account of the smooth running of the internal market and the political, social and economic implications in the candidate countries. In justice and home affairs, the Commission does not expect negotiations as such on transitional periods (the candidates have practically not asked for any), but rather talks on the manner of evaluating the ability of the candidates to implement the acquis (border controls, combating illegal immigration, drug trafficking, money laundering…)