Brussels, 10/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - The 16 April informal European Council in Athens will clearly be dominated by the official signing of the Accession Treaty against the symbolic backdrop of the Agora at the foot of the Acropolis, but it will also provide an opportunity for the 25 countries, at the highest level, to discuss a number of institutional questions about the functioning of the enlarged Europe. On Wednesday morning the EU15 and their ten acceding countries' counterparts (observers of the Convention's work) will hold a two hour discussion with the Chairman of the European Convention, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, and the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, on themes suggested by VGE, such as the future EU foreign minister, the designation and powers of the President of the Commission in the future, the size and composition of the Commission, the role of national parliaments and the Council Presidency and the European Council. The Greek Presidency has not ruled out other issues being raised, like the Convention's deadlines and the date of its final report, or the Special Summit on the Convention proposed by the Greek Presidency (likely to be held in Brussels on 30 June).
The official signing of the Accession Treaty by the heads of state of the current 15 Member States and the ten acceding countries will be held on Wednesday afternoon. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will be attending the ceremony, opened by the President of the European Council, Costas Simitis. Following the signing of the Treaty by Greece, the two politicians for each of the other 24 countries will make brief speeches and then sign the Treaty on behalf of their countries. The ceremony will end with speeches by the President of the EP and the President of the European Commission.
On Thursday morning a meeting of the "European Conference" will be held between the heads of state and foreign ministers of 39 countries, namely the fifteen EU Member States, the 13 candidate countries, the five countries of South-East Europe (Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro), Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, the Ukraine and Moldova. Russia will be participating as an observer (represented by the Russian foreign minister Ivanov). The main subject of discussion will be good neighbourly relations with the enlarged Europe. Kofi Annan will be holding bilateral and multilateral talks on the fringes of Thursday's meeting.