Brussels, 26/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - After their meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, and Wim Kok, the Dutch Prime Minister, both confirmed that they held the same views on the different issues they had discussed in the morning.
Welcoming the "great Prime Minister" who had done so much to forward European integration, Mr Prodi told journalists that his meetings with Mr Kok had focussed on decisions taken last Friday by the extraordinary Summit of Heads of State. He said that they had analysed what the EU had to do to put the Summit decisions into action, adding that they had spent some time discussing money laundering and police cooperation. Apart from these two issues, the politicians covered issues like enlargement, the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Structural Funds and the launch of a new multilateral trade round at the World Trade Organisation (see article on p.8). The President of the Commission stressed that they shared the same points of view and objectives in all the different areas and also for technical aspects, adding that they shared the same vision of Europe and were on the same wavelength.
Confirming the views expressed by Mr Prodi, the Dutch Prime Minister welcomed the "precise and rapid" way in which the EU had reacted to the events of 11 September. He asserted that Europe itself, particularly through the ECOFIN and Justice and Home Affairs Councils, must now commit itself. It is essential that we rapidly express more than our political will, explaining what has to be done, he added. Mr Kok also argued that this was a "historic" hour since by strengthening the European Union, they will be making a great contribution to multilateralism, which is vital after the events of 11 September. He argued for a strengthened partnership with the United States and in terms of the WTO, the Dutch Prime Minister asserted that the launch of a new round was even more important today than it had been before 11 September. He said that they could not afford the luxury of a new Seattle. When asked about attacks on the Muslim community in the Netherlands following the New York and Washington terrorist attacks, Mr Kok said that care should be taken to set up bridges between communities at all levels. He made it clear that due to the Dutch electoral timetable, he would not be standing as a candidate for Presidency of the upcoming Convention that will be preparing for the institutional reform of the European Union.
Mr Kok outlined his country's position with regard to the Structural Funds - the Netherlands wants it to be countries and not regions that are eligible for Community funding. Mr Prodi said he had heard Mr Kok's views on this point and thanked him for raising the issue. The President of the Commission concluded that they needed to reflect on the dossier and it was time to start discussing the issue.