02/06/2003 (Agence Europe) - In his meeting with President Putin at the sidelines of the G8 Summit in Evian, Romano Prodi was able to continue his discussions on abolishing the requirement for visas between the Union and Russia, which got underway at the St Petersburg Summit, according to the agency Itar-Tass. Furthermore, South African President Thabo Mbeki made an announcement after the meeting between the G8 and the countries of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which preceded the G8 Summit, that the EU will contribute one billion dollars per year to the Global Fund to Fight Aids. EUROPE will come back on the Evian Summit.