The Irish Presidency of the European Union starts its most challenging month on Monday as foreign ministers meet to thrash out the text of a constitution for the bloc, ahead of a summit of EU leaders on June 17
Published:
17 May 2004 y., Monday
Irish Premier Bertie Ahern has been touring EU capitals since early May to try to reach consensus on outstanding wrangles in the charter, seen as vital for the smooth running of the bloc which expanded on May 1 to 25 members from 15.
His trips appear to be paying off, with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain - with Poland one of two countries blamed for the collapse of talks on the charter last December - saying on Friday the bloc was close to agreement.
"We are close to what may be an understanding and global consensus in the whole Union," he said after meeting Ahern in Madrid.
The charter, drafted by a 105-member convention of lawmakers from across the bloc, failed to gain acceptance last year mainly because of disagreement over how voting powers should be divided between member states.
Šaltinis:
scandinavianews.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
President Dalia Grybauskaitė opened the Lithuania National Day at EXPO 2010 in Shanghai.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė visited the pavilions of Lithuania and the host country China at EXPO 2010.
more »
On 19 October, Acting Director of Europe Department of Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Neris Germanas met with Polish Ambassador to Lithuania Janusz Skolimowski.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė had a meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus in Minsk where they discussed regional cooperation between the two countries within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to be chaired by Lithuania next year, as well as possibilities for bilateral cooperation.
more »
On 14 October in Washington D.C. the delegation of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry led by Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Evaldas Ignatavičius discussed ways to better coordinate the development cooperation and democracy promotion programmes that are being implemented by the two countries.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė and President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who has come to Lithuania on an official visit, discussed bilateral issues, Ukraine's progress in the area of European integration, and regional cooperation, including the upcoming Lithuanian Chairmanship of the OSCE.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended, on behalf of the people of Lithuania and herself, sincere condolences on the tragic death of Ukrainian citizens in a traffic collision which occurred in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė sent congratulations on behalf of herself and the people of Lithuania on the occasion of Spain's national holiday, the National Day of Spain.
more »
The State Defense Council headed by President Dalia Grybauskaitė approved Lithuania's positions on the key issues to be addressed by NATO's new strategic concept, which would be presented at the meeting of NATO foreign and defense ministers on October 14 in Brussels.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė received Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn, who is currently in Lithuania on a working visit.
more »