EU leaders to discuss innovation and energy

The EU innovation policy and external energy relations will be the main themes of the EU Heads of State or Government informal meeting to be held here Friday. Cyprus will be represented at the meeting by its President Tassos Papadopoulos who arrives in Finland on Thursday, accompanied by the Director of his Diplomatic Office Tasos Tzionis.

President Papadopoulos will have a meeting on Friday morning in Helsinki with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

The Lahti informal meeting, to be chaired by the Prime Minister of Finland, which currently holds the EU Presidency, Matti Vanhanen, will start with a working lunch, at which the topic for discussion will be the external energy policy. Towards the end of lunch there will be time for a short discussion on certain topics, such as illegal immigration.

During the afternoon session, the discussion will focus on the need to strengthen competitiveness, especially through an innovation policy. The intention is to draw attention to issues and challenges that call for joint EU action to create an environment that stimulates innovation and promotes its effective use.

In addition, the situation in Sudan/Darfur will also be touched upon at the Lahti meeting.

The Lahti informal meeting will be followed by a dinner discussion with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on the strategic partnership between the EU and Russia, inter alia in the energy sector.

In his letter of invitation to President Papadopoulos and the other EU leaders, Vanhanen said ”the meeting will give us the possibility to have an informal, open discussion on two themes that are relevant to the Union’s economic growth and employment: energy policy and innovation,” noting that the Commission has produced two communications, one on energy policy and another on innovation, as background documents for their discussions.

As regards their dinner with Putin, Vanhanen said his intention was to make some introductory remarks on strategic partnership and ask Putin to reply.

”I will also convey some of the Union’s common goals and concerns to Russia. On energy issues I have invited President Putin to lead and (Commission) President Barroso to reply,” he noted.

An Informal Tripartite Social Summit will also take place on Friday morning in Lahti. The meeting will discuss ways of improving the quality of working life and labour market efficiency in Europe characterised by tightening competition and ageing population. It will be chaired by the Prime Minister of Finland and the President of the European Commission.

The Social Summit will also provide a platform for the social partners to convey their views on the issues for discussion to the leaders’ meeting. The meeting will be attended by representatives from Finland, Germany and Portugal, as the current and the next two Presidency countries, as well as the Commission and European social partners.

Meanwhile, leaders of European People’s Party (EPP) member parties, among which Karamanlis and Cypriot right-wing Democratic Rally (DISY) President Nicos Anastasiades, will meet in Helsinki on Thursday evening.

On the agenda will be the preparation of the Informal European Council in Lahti.