Copenhagen, 25/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - European Parliament President Pat Cox and the presidents of all the EP political groups discussed the priorities of the Danish EU Council Presidency, on Monday in Copenhagen, with Prime Minister Anders Foeg Rasmussen and Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller and Foreign Affairs Minister Bertel Haarder (MEP from 1999 until last Danish elections). MEPs welcomed this first ever meeting of this kind saying it was in line with Mr Cox's am to promote a "new sense of partnership for Europe across the institutions".
Furthermore, on Tuesday morning, Thomas Ahrenkiel, Adviser to the Danish Permanent Representation, replaced at short notice, during a dinner-debate organised by The European Policy Centre, Ambassador Poul Skytte Christoffersen who had to go to Copenhagen to settle the last details of the Danish Presidency beginning on Monday. He confirmed that the Presidency would seek to implement the Council reforms decided in Seville as far as possible. He said they hoped the Council would approve the amendments to the rules of procedure in order to implement reforms in September. He went on to specify that the Presidency will above all seek to better prepare the European Councils by "making use" of the General Affairs Council and presenting "annotated agendas and papers on options", and reducing the number of Council formations. With regard to transparency, he announced that "we shall open debates (in Council) on presentation of the major Commission proposals", as well as, in the last phase, "voting procedures and voting explanations". Furthermore, the Presidency plans to present to the European Council of Copenhagen an 'initial report" on the problem of languages, and (as requested in Seville), a first report on the future organisation of the Presidencies. Without encroaching onto the work of the Commission, it is "logical for the Council to think of its future", he said. In Nice, they spoke of what would happen (mainly for the calculation of qualified majority) in a Union with 27 members, but not 25, he noted in this context in response to a question. Also, in answer to questions on the proposals by Mr Prodi on this "intermediary period", he considered as "interesting" the idea of reflecting on reform of the European Commission in parallel to that of the Council. These ideas "have came rather late in the discussion on Council reform" and there will perhaps be the possibility of discussing them in the context of interinstitutional dialogue decided in Seville (mainly on "better regulation"), he added.
As far as the priorities of the Danish Presidency are concerned, Mr Ahrenkiel obviously spoke of enlargement confirming that "we do not foresee changing the dates" of the European Council on 24 and 25 October as, he said, common positions on direct aid to farmers especially must be presented to candidates "early November" so that there are five weeks for negotiating with them before the European Council in Copenhagen (on 12 and 13 December). "Some tend to say" that everything could be done in Copenhagen, he added (a reference to Germany, that he did not mention by name), but, he said, "we have warned them" against such an approach as it would be difficult, during one and the same summit, to adopt our common positions as well as conclude enlargement negotiations, he warned. He repeated that the Danish Presidency hopes to make "serious and ambitious" progress on CAP revision, but that this would not be possible if a link is created between reform and enlargement. It will be necessary at the European Council of October to also settle institutional problems, he remarked.
On the subject of the other Presidency priorities, the Danish diplomat spoke of the dossiers on: - Justice and Home Affairs, noting that the Presidency wants to make progress not only on the conclusions of Seville but also "the whole Tampere agenda"; - economic reform, insisting on the tax package and warning that, if an agreement is not reached with Switzerland on the exchange of information, this could have consequences with regards cooperation in other fields; - reform of fisheries policy, which must be "ambitious"; - external relations, citing in particular the Summit of Johannesburg and the summits with Russia and ASEAN, as well as the problem of Kaliningrad (he said he was convinced that, in cooperation with Poland and Lithuania, a satisfactory solution could be reached for all, a solution which, at the same time, complies with EU acquis); - and ESDP, stressing that the Danish Presidency will work very closely with Greece (which, because of the Danish "opt out", is to preside the work), and that, at the same time, it will focus on its priority, civilian crisis management.