Strasbourg, 23/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - The 17th Quadripartite Meeting between the European Union and the Council of Europe was held in Brussels on 20 November, attended by the Belgian Minister Annemie Neyts (as acting President of the EU Council), Commissioner Chris Patten, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis and Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The subjects discussed included both organisations' active contribution to the riposte to the 11 September attacks, with both organisations agreeing to pursue close co-operation and develop a common strategy to fight terrorism. They also discussed developments in their relations with Turkey in the field of Justice and Home Affairs as a part of implementing the Turkish national programme for the adoption of the EU acquis.
The Council of Europe's participants expressing their organisation's willingness to contribute to the work of the future Convention on institutional reform of the EU in the same way it had contributed to the Convention that prepared the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU. EUROPE points out that the Council of the Europe was granted observer status at the previous Convention because of concerns about a potential conflict between the EU's Charter and the European Convention of Human Rights.