Brussels, 28/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - The General Affairs Council reached a compromise on Monday on the financing and composition of the Convention on the future of Europe, which "received the full agreement of all", Josep Piqué, Council President, said. Ministers agreed that the Chairman and the Vice-Chairmen of the Convention will be treated separately and that each government will therefore be able to appoint a representative, thus putting an end to the imbroglio caused by the different interpretations of the conclusions of the Laeken Summit regarding the appointment of a representative for the Italian government, in addition to the Convention's Vice-Chairman, Socialist Giuliano Amato.
Independently of the Laeken text, the Council had to take into account the position of the Italian government and of Giuliano Amato, who does not consider himself a representative of the government, Josep Piqué told the press. Called upon by the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi (who was present as interim Foreign Minister), to find a "political solution", the ministers approved the agreement proposed by the Presidency. During a debate lasting a few minutes during lunch, the Dutch, Danish, and Swedish ministers in particular - who showed greater reticence about the appointment of the president of Alleanza Nazionale, Gianfranco Fini - intervened to show they rallied to this solution.
The Council also confirmed the agreement that had come about during the meeting of the Permanent Representatives on Friday in favour of a budget of EUR 10.5 million for the Convention (see EUROPE of 26 January, p.7). The members of the Presidium will have allowances (and not salaries), amounting to EUR 1000 daily for its Chairman, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing; EUR 750 for the Italian vice-Chairman, Giuliano Amato; and EUR 200 for Belgian Vice-Chairman, Jean-Luc Dehaene. These allowances come in addition to the travel allowances. This compromise has still to be fine-tuned by the Permanent Representatives.