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[Luxembourg 2005 Presidency of the Council of the European Union]
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Press Release
Nicolas Schmit : "Cohesion policy is a reflection of the solidarity between the various Member States".

Date of release : 17-02-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations


Within the context of the Luxembourg Presidency and with a view to the forthcoming General Affairs and External Relations Council, the Delegate Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Nicolas Schmit, hosted the Danish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Carsten Søndergaard, on Thursday 17 February 2005 for a working meeting at the Foreign Ministry.

During this working visit, the discussions related mainly to the financial perspectives for the period 2007-2013. According to Nicolas Schmit, "it is very important to reach a compromise by the end of the Luxembourg Presidency in June, while respecting a number of principles such as that of budget discipline". The Delegate Minister for Foreign Affairs declared in particular that "the cohesion policy is a reflection of the solidarity between the various Member States, for which a balance must be sought between the new and the old Member States".

The two delegations also dealt with the mid-term review of the Lisbon process, which is due to be decided on at the forthcoming European Council on 22 and 23 March 2005 in Brussels. Minister Schmit declared in this context that "the implementation of the Lisbon priorities must be stepped up, and the governance of employment policies in particular needs to be improved. The various exchanges of views between the Luxembourg Presidency and Member States such as Denmark are useful so that we can reach an overall agreement at the European Council in March 2005."

As to the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, Minister Schmit stated that the Luxembourg Presidency intended to reach an agreement before the European Council in March. However, alongside with the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy and the financial perspectives, "these three essential objectives of the Luxembourg Presidency are very important for the overall image and decision-making capability of the EU", said Nicolas Schmit.

Finally, the two delegations also raised other subjects like the enlargement of the European Union and particularly the question of the opening of accession negotiations with Croatia.



This page was last modified on : 18-02-2005

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