Brussels, 19/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - In bilateral talks on the sidelines of the European Council last week, with "Spain and Portugal" in particular, the Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has proposed that cooperation with the Mediterranean be stepped up at European level within the framework of an "absolutely ambitious and strong project". This cooperation would exceed the framework of the Barcelona process, which Mr Prodi described as "insufficient", and cover issues such as "immigration" and exchanges in the field of education. "France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus" are said to have already given their agreement to this proposal, and "Germany and Austria" have stated their interest, according to Mr Prodi. He added that "in the next few days", discussions will take place with "Slovenia and Bulgaria".
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero mentioned to the press that a "Spanish-Italian working group", which is open to "other countries", had been set up.