Madam President, Mr President of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, President of the Council, you have offered to cooperate closely with the European Parliament and the groups. We are happy to take that on board, for we do indeed have good contacts. I can tell you on behalf of our group that you also have our full support in relation to the substance of your statement, in which you give priority to a European Community approach, rather than to intergovernmental cooperation, the cooperation between governments that we firmly reject in the Community framework. We must not rela into intergovernmental cooperation. (Applause) You have a very sympathetic country as your neighbour – just as we find Sweden sympathetic. We hear somewhat more about a European Community approach in Finland, and I would like to see Finland and Sweden of one mind on these issues. You are following in the footsteps of previous presidencies and that means you are taking over a mortgage, namely the mortgage of the Treaty of Nice. I cannot agree with the view you set out here, that the Treaty of Nice is a success. But a mortgage is also an opportunity, because it can be paid off. We would like to join forces with you in the coming weeks and months in paying off the mortgage of Nice. That is why our Group of the will at this point say neither yea nor nay to the Treaty of Nice. I have just passed on the 's resolution from the Berlin Congress to the presidency of the Council, represented by Mr Danielsson. Mr Romano Prodi, our Commission President, referred to the need to work closely together, not just in the Community framework of our European parties, but also with the national parties. This EPP Congress decided the principles I want to put to you with no votes against, with all 42 national parties voting in favour. Firstly, on the intergovernmental conference system: a conference that drags on for weeks and months must become a thing of the past; it is not a model for the future. We are decidedly against adhering to the old system. (Applause) Secondly, given that the preparations have to begin under your presidency and should then lead to a decision in Laeken under the Belgian Presidency, we call on you to organise a conference fairly quickly, based on the methods and model of the Convent, with greater participation by the European Parliament and the national governments, and above all, of course, of the Commission too. We call on you to start the debate soon and we also call on you, Mr President of the Council, to remedy the mistakes that have emerged in the Treaty of Nice even before the Treaty is signed. We have heard that Poland was to be given fewer votes in the Council of Ministers than Spain. That was corrected, because supposedly it was just a typing mistake. There are other typing mistakes: the Czech Republic and Hungary, which have the same size population as Belgium and Portugal, are only to have 20 MEPs, while the other two countries have 22. Let us also give the Czech Republic and Hungary 22 Members in the European Parliament and let us not begin enlargement by discriminating against these two countries. You can correct that before the Treaty is signed, for if it is merely a technical error, surely it does not need any political decisions. I turn now to the question of transparency. We note with great concern that through its activities the Council's General Secretariat has created a number of screens at top level, with the refusal to pass on information either to the Commission or to the European Parliament ­and Mr Solana, for whom I have a high regard, is of course more preoccupied with his job as High Representative. Please see to it that we have transparency; that is the great hope we place in your presidency. (Applause) Mr President, since I carefully read everything you say in your capacity of distinguished Swedish Prime Minister and President of the Council, I noted your address to the Nordic Club on 5 October, in which you said you place high hopes in the Council of Ministers. I hope Maastricht taught you otherwise. The Council of Ministers does not need to be strengthened, it needs to become more transparent and to be reformed, so that the doors of the Council are also thrown open to the public. My third and last point is enlargement. Here we are of the same mind: we regard enlargement as a moral, historic and political duty and one that must not be delayed, whatever the decision we take on Nice. Let me conclude by saying that Europe must become more competitive. You had many gratifying things to say about the euro. I agree, but you must have the courage to strengthen the euro in Europe by telling the people of your country that the euro is a necessity and that Sweden is accompanying us along this road. (Applause) I wish you success, and your success will be our common success. You are not a member of our party, nonetheless I wish you success because what is at stake is the biggest E of all, namely Europe, so let us work together. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE