Brussels, 08/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - The group of the European People's Party-European Democrats (EPP-ED), presided by Hans-Gert Pöttering, held the third summit of the presidents of the parliamentary groups of the EPP-ED family of the EU25 member countries on 8 November. The summit was held under the chairmanship of Hans-Gert Pöttering, Lorenzo Cesa (UDC, Italy) and Maxime Verhagen, President of the CDA Group at the Second House of the Dutch Parliament, and with the participation of Wilfried Martens, President of the European People's Party.
Themes discussed were the ratification of the European Constitution, the setting up of the Barroso Commission and relations with Turkey (Dutch Christian Democrat Camiel Eurlings was entrusted with the task of drawing up a report on the opening of talks for Turkey's accession to the EU that the Parliament plans to adopt before the European Council on 18 December).