Brussels, 12/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - During a press conference, the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, expressed the hope that the Heads of State and Government would adopt a "clear and ambitious" statement at the summit on Friday and Saturday. Such a statement should not go into details but should affirm the principles and broad guidelines for the future of Europe, explained Mr Prodi, stressing that it must not be dressed up like a "Christmas tree". We do not need a revolution but rather clarity, he said, urging for renewal of the Community method and its extension to the areas of common security and foreign policy and justice and home affairs.
Earlier, the Commission president had again stressed the different fields in which the Union must be strengthened. He mainly insisted on the protection of external Union borders as well as immigration and asylum issues. However, citing the blocking of the Community patent and the Galileo project, Mr Prodi above all expressed concern about the "inability of the Council to show it is up to the task" and to respect the commitments taken by the European Council, which must not serve to settle the issues on which ministers failed. The cost entailed by this lack of results, by this inability to decide has become "unbearable", said Mr Prodi, who added that he was also concerned "but not shocked" by the bargaining to be expected concerning the allocation of the seats of agencies and the Convention presidency (he noted this is also true at national level for the location of a stadium or hospital).