Brussels, 29/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the Council adopted the directive relating to the minimum conditions for hosting asylum seekers, thus definitively confirming the political agreement noted, with parliamentary reserve, during the Justice and Home Affairs Council in December. The directive will concern all third country or stateless persons who file a request for asylum in the EU. The Member States may also decide to apply it to those who call for other forms of international protection. The directive fixes very general rules for informing asylum seekers, providing access to healthcare, housing or even work - on this last point, in particular, Member States retain a large margin of manoeuvre contrary to that noted by the European Commission (see EUROPE of 22 January, pp 16 and 17, and 22 December, p.11).