18 October: EPP LEADERS DEBATE THE NEW EU TREATY IN LISBON

The EPP heads of State and Government of the European Union (EU) and non - EU countries will meet on 18th of October in Lisbon for the EPP Summit, along with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel BARROSO and the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert POETTERING.

Heads of State and Government include Angela MERKEL (Germany), Jan-Peter BALKENENDE (The Netherlands), Kostas KARAMANLIS (Greece), Jean-Claude JUNCKER (Luxembourg), Lawrence GONZI (Malta), Janez JANSA (Slovenia), Aigars KALVITIS (Latvia) and Traian BASESCU (Romania), along with Austrian Deputy Federal Chancellor Wilhelm MOLTERER and Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Per Stig MOLLER.

Amongst the EPP Party leaders, Luis Filipe MENEZES (PSD – Portugal), Erwin HUBER (CSU – Germany), Mikulas DZURINDA (SDKU-DS, Slovakia), and Nicos ANASTASIADES (DR, Cyprus) will participate in the meeting.

President Victor YUSHCHENKO (Ukraine), President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (Georgia), Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (Croatia), Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (Albania) and Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (FYROM) will attend the Summit.

The Chairwoman of BYuT of Ukraine, Yulia TYMOSHENKO, and the leader of the opposition in Belarus and winner of the Sajarov Prize of the European Parliament, Aleksander MILINKEVICH, will also participate in the meeting as special guests. In addition, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, René VAN DER LINDEN, will join the gathering.

The Summit will be chaired by the President of the EPP, Wilfried MARTENS. The Chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, Joseph DAUL, and the Secretary General of the EPP, Antonio LOPEZ – ISTURIZ, will be also attending the meeting.

On the agenda will be the preparation of the European Council (18-19 October) in Lisbon, in particular the adoption of the new Treaty of the EU.

EPP Summit
Date: 18th October (from 12:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs)
Venue: Hotel Four Seasons Ritz
Rua Rodrigo Da Fonseca, 88
Lisbon

NOTE TO THE PRESS:
• Photo and TV camera opportunities will take place during the meeting. Sound recording is not allowed.

• For security reasons, please ensure that you bring a long valid accreditation: Journalists and cameramen will be given access to the venue upon presentation of their accreditation for the European Council or their national/European press card. Registration for the press will open at 10:00

Journalists without one of these documents must contact Javier Jimenez, EPP Press Officer. E-mail: jjimenez@epp.eu

For more information:

Javier Jiménez
EPP Press Officer
Rue du Commerce, 10
B-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 285 41 56 / +32 475 480 446
Fax:+ 32 2 285 41 41
E-mail: jjimenez@epp.eu
Url: www.epp.eu