Brussels, 10/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - As tradition wonts, the main European political parties will be holding their pre-European Council summits next week.
Thus, before the European Council on 17 and 18 June in Brussels, the European People's Party (EPP) presided by Wilfried Martens is to hold its summit on 16 June. The president of the EPP-ED Group at the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, has pointed out that one of the main issues to be tackled will be that of who is to be candidate to Romano Prod's succession at the head of the European Commission from this November (see EUROPE of 9 June, p.4, on his declarations on possible EPP contenders).
The Party of European Socialists (PES) presided by former Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen is organising its summit in the morning of 17 June. This time, among the Socialist and Social Democrat leaders there will be one more Prime Minister, Zapatero of Spain. A PES press release states that the Socialist summit should mainly focus on "new strategic alliances inside the European Parliament" (see above all EUROPE of 9 June, p.5, and of 10 June, p.4). Furthermore, a press release states, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen will put proposals to the leaders on what he defines as "a sound contribution by the PES to the European Union's political agenda for 2005-2009", a programme that the new European Commission should present early 2005.