Brussels, 16/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - On 19-20 March, the European Council in Brussels will tackle the delicate matter of reaching an agreement on unblocking €5bn from Community funds to energy and internet development projects for rural areas. This involves the Community's contribution to the European economic recovery plan. The discussion on Monday 16 March at the General Affairs Council did not facilitate an agreement on the funding for this €5bn (EUROPE 9861).
During the General Affairs Council, the member states that were most critical of the nonetheless revised proposal from the Czech presidency, were Germany, Romania and Portugal. The presidency concluded that the debate had been constructive and one final effort was needed to produce an agreement. The €5bn envelope remains the reference amount, whilst also possibilities for funding should be explored to a maximum. Many EU countries believe that revision of the financial perspectives, should not be retained. (L.C./trans/rh)