Brussels, 23/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - The controversial candidacy of Paul Wolfowitz to the post of World Bank president was the subject of an inconclusive exchange of views on Tuesday evening between EU finance ministers in Brussels for the Spring Summit. It now appears that ministers want to hear what Wolfowitz has to say about his programme, if possible before 31 March, and that Europe hoped that it would at least be able to obtain a post in the World Bank board of directors if the final decision depends on the US candidate. Didier Reynders, the Belgian minister of finance told the press that there was no agreement and that they had only underlined the need for a European platform on all decisions on the hearing of the candidate and then for outlining orientations, “We have requested that prior to any decision, the US candidate communicated would his programme would be, in the knowledge that he would be involved in African policy and the fight against poverty”. Reynders said that there was a possibility of a meeting before 31 March with EU finance ministers and their counterparts in charge of development policy. He also added that there would be a European proposal for putting someone into the team of the future president of the World Bank, given that the vice president would be Chinese. Karl Heinz Grasser, Austrian finance minister said that Wolfowitz was a “serious candidate”. Gerrit Zalm finance minister in the Netherlands said that he did not feel negative about him and that he should be considers as a serious candidate by everyone”. Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero said that Spain had noted the candidacy of Wolfowitz and that it would be part of the European consensus. Chancellor Schröder repeated that President Bush had called him on the phone beforehand to announce Wolfowitz' candidacy and that he had promised that Germany would have a constructive attitude. The European Commissioner for Development, Louis Michel's invitation to Mr Wolfowitz to come and present his programme to a European team in Brussels was accepted.