Brussels, 24/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - President of the European Commission Romano Prodi received, on Thursday, the President of the Basque Government, Juan José Ibarretxe. The two men held a meeting described on all sides as cordial and open regarding the political and economic situation of the Basque Country, the Convention and the role of all power levels in tomorrow's Europe.
Expressing his intimate conviction that terrorism and social fragmentation have no place in the Europe of today, or of tomorrow, Mr Prodi asked his discussion partner to have his government do everything it can to guarantee the full exercise of individual and democratic freedoms in the Basque Country and to do everything possible so that democracy wins over terrorism. Mr Ibarretxe gave his assurance that the freedom of persons and democracy were values shared by the Basque government and population alike.
Regarding regions, Romano Prodi recalled the Commission's intention, expressed in the White Paper on governance, to take better account of the opinion of regions in the conception and implementation of Community policies. He invited Mr Ibarretxe to take full advantage of the fact that representatives of the Committee of the Regions will have a seat at the Convention and will contribute to shaping the future of the EU. Speaking of the widespread view that the Basque Country wants to be systematically different in taxation matters - the Basque Country has tax autonomy - Mr Ibarretxe affirmed this was misguided. On the contrary, we have adopted single currency and the logic that one should tend towards greater tax harmonisation, he explained. Concerning the growing demand of the Basques to have representation in Council, and especially at the Ecofin Council since they enjoy tax autonomy, Mr Prodi reminded his interlocutor that the representation of the regions and of autonomous communities in Council was organised in each Member State according to their respective constitutional arrangements.