Palma de Majorca, 27/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - One week from the international meeting in Bali, a preparatory meeting before the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 26 August to 4 September), the EU15 Environment Ministers seized the opportunity of their informal meeting in Palma de Majorca to briefly tackle this subject. Jan Pronk, Dutch Minister taking on the role of special representative for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for this event, made them a very detailed report of the situation calling on the Union to play a leading role in order to overcome the failure of the meeting in New York and in order to allow adoption of a powerful political declaration in Johannesburg. Mr Pronk called for better European coordination between the Environment and Development Ministers, and invited the European Commission to place on the table, in Bali, concrete proposals concerning partnerships for action with the private sector. Margot Wallström, Environment Commissioner, gave a favourable answer to this request but insisted on "the need to make the link between the political commitment of the international community and these partnerships visible", so that Johannesburg is really a meeting for implementation and not for declarations. Speaking before the press, Anne Wallström said she hoped the Heads of State and Government would themselves be going to Bali and expressed the hope that the United States would be present. According to the Council President, Jaume Matas, the Environment Ministers recognised the "need for the Union to play a driving role for concrete proposals to be presented in Bali, proposals that would come under a polkitical declatation and an action programme".