17/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner Chris Patten has hailed the 14 May signature by Yasser Arafat of the law on judicial independence saying it was an important step in the direction of a separation of power and one of the conditions for the EU's budgetary support for the reform of the Palestinian Authority's administrative, financial and judicial reform (see EUROPE of 16 May, p.3, on Chris Patten's speech to European Parliament).