Brussels, 08/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - During a meeting with the press on 9 January in Brussels, Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the EPP-ED Group at the European Parliament, stressed that his group's very top priority was to conclude the work of the European Convention by June this year so that a "short" Intergovernmental Conference can be held under Italian Presidency.
Regarding the growing presence of Foreign Ministers or Deputy Prime Ministers at the European Convention, the CDU member welcomed this commitment on the part of Member States while urging government representatives not to simply use the Convention as a valuable public tribune, but to work seriously by contributing to the search for compromise. The Convention must go as far as possible, as the IGC will no doubt take less "Community" positions than the Convention, Mr Pöttering said. In answer to questions on the possibility for the President of the European Commission to also preside the Council at the same time, Mr Pöttering said that, personally, he felt this solution could be worth thinking about. The EPP-ED group does not yet have a definitive position on the matter, he said, but it is clear that any new structure envisaged for the Council Presidency should not create tension with the Commission. He expressed the hope that all "mental taboo" would be eliminated.
Furthermore, Mr Pöttering recalled that the EPP-ED Group is hoping for a discussion on the future Union frontiers and, considering that the Union must be very frank and honest with Ankara, he repeated that, according to a majority within his group, it is not "absolutely necessary for Turkey to be a full member of the Union".