29/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - The French President, Jacques Chirac, announced on Monday that he hopes that an agreement can be reached on the financial perspectives 2007-2013, "by the end of the year if possible, on the basis of the proposals of the Luxembourg presidency and in full respect of all agreements already concluded, and with the objective that all the Member States of the Union will take their full share in funding enlargement". "Solidarity with the new Member States to enable them to catch up with the standard of living of their partners and experience levels of development the whole Union will benefit from as has been the case in the past. This is what lies at stake with the European budget for the period 2007-2013", said the Head of State, speaking in Paris on 29 August on the occasion of the annual Conference of the French ambassadors. A decision on this subject by the end of the year is one of the main priorities of the UK Presidency (EUROPE 8982).