Brussels, 23/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the Danish Presidency of the EU provided further explanations on how it intended, at the European Summit in Brussels, broaching the problems that still pose obstacles to an agreement among the Fifteen on the "enlargement package" to propose to candidates (see page 4). Thus, it said it had established the "necessary channels" to be entirely informed of the Schroeder/Chirac talks that will take place just three hours before the opening of the Summit, to be able to "immediately and frankly", Thursday evening already, tackle all the delicate subjects in suspense. "Thursday evening's dinner will be very important, as it will enable the Presidency to identify to what extent is may have to review its proposals Thursday night", diplomatic sources explained. Friday morning, the Presidency will begin work with a discussion on the list of 10 countries which, according to the Commission, should be part of the first wave of accessions. Official designation of these 10 countries should be dealt with "as a package" with the Commission's proposal on closer monitoring and the introduction of a special safeguard clause. Following Tuesday's General Affairs Council (see yesterday's EUROPE p. 4), and despite the uncertainty linked to the stance of the Dutch Government, there is a good chance that this "package" should pass without great problem, diplomats thought. The other three issues to settle are: direct aid to the farmers of the new member countries, overall budget (2004-2006) for Structural aid to the new members, budgetary compensations (reference to 2003 or only to the net financial position in 2004). According to these sources, the most difficult problem to resolve will doubtless be that of direct aid to farmers, "especially as it increasingly seems that the debate on this question has changed from an initially agricultural debate into a purely financial debate", and that this debate, to judge from statements made in Paris, risks extending to other policies, like regional aid or the "British cheque" (even though the Presidency has no intention of raising this issue on its own initiative - see yesterday's EUROPE, p.11). Negotiations will be "very difficult" and it could become a "very long meeting", "but we have the modest hope that throughout this negotiation on financing enlargement, Member States will keep a sense of proportion", the Presidency stresses. "Thus, one has not to forget that the accumulated economic power of the ten new member countries is more or less that of the Netherlands, that the compensations proposed by the Commission for 2004-2006 will not cost more than a single euro a year per citizen of the enlarged Union and that net financial transfers to the new countries over the first three years are really derisory", they said.