Brussels, 14/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - The beginning of the Energy Council's work on Wednesday experienced a slight hiccup. Commissioner Loyola de Palacio, indicated that she would refuse to take part in the meeting if she did not have enough seats for her collaborators. The number of seats for Community and national representatives has effectively been reduced to allow representatives from Member States to attend Council meetings as observers. While awaiting the completion of the room enlargement, the Commission has (since 1st May) had to manage with three seats, which according to the Commissioner, are too few to work efficiently. This is without taking into account the fact that the Council has more seats (six or seven). Council President, Apostolos Tsochatzopoulous, agreed to the Commissioner's request and granted her six seats, therefore allowing the Council to begin. Community sources explained that the "The Commission does not agree that enlargement is a way of marginalising it". It also added that this involved a symbolic and institutional problem, "which is not innocent, within the structure of the Convention".