EPP GROUP STUDY DAYS IN VIENNA
EPP-Group: Safeguarding the future

Press Releases 05/03/99: Final Press Release 04/03/99: EPP Group decides mesures for internal security 04/03/99: EPP Group underlines the importance of the research policy as motor in providing new jobs 01/03/99: EPP Group opens Study Days in Vienna Declarations and speeches 04/03/99: Reform of Migration Policy (Hubert Pirker MEP) Pictures Programme

This week (1/3-5/3 1999) the EPP-Group in the European Parliament will hold its Group meeting and its Study Days in Vienna (Austria). Beside the preparation of the plenary session in Strasbourg a series of European key questions are at issue. The 201 EPP-MEPs will discuss questions of security and stability in Europe as well as the issue of development and research within the European Union. "These are key issues for a further secure and stable development of the EU. While European Socialists are organising social gatherings of their leaders throughout Europe, the EPP Group meets in Vienna to work in an concentrated and engaged way on highly important questions for the future of Europe" says Ursula STENZEL MEP, the leader of the Austrian delegation in the EPP Group, who acts as host for the EPP Group meeting in Vienna.

The Study Days start on Monday (1/3) with a welcome adress by Mr Wilfried Martens MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group. Mr Wolfgang Schüssel, Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister and Mr Andreas Khol MP, Chairman of the ÖVP parliamentary group, will then give a brief survey on the political and economic situation in Austria as well as a report on the Austrian presidency of the Council of the European Union.

On Thursday (4/3) will be the Introduction and Opening of the Study Days by Mrs Ursula Stenzel MEP, Head of the Austrian Delegation in the EPP Group on the issue of "Safeguarding the Future". The first main topic deals with "Europe towards an area of freedom and security based on the rule of law". Under the chair of Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering MEP, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group, the Spanish Minister responsible for Internal Security, Mr Ricardo Martí Fluxá, the Director-Designate of Europol Mr Jürgen Storbeck, the Vice-Chairman of the EPP Working Group on Internal Affairs Mr Hubert Pirker MEP and the EPP Coordinator in the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties and Internal Affairs Mr Hartmut Nassauer MEP will discuss this European key issue.

On Thursday afternoon the EPP Group will discuss the question of research and development in Europe as a basis for more employment for the future. Mr Reinhard RACK, Vice-Chairman of the EPP Group, will chair the session. Rapporteurs on this topic are Mrs Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl MEP, the European Parliament's rapporteur on the fifth framework programme on technological research, Mr Franz Fischler, Member of the Commission, Professor Helmut List, President of AVL-Graz and former Chairman of the Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee and Professor Juhsani KUUSI, Head of Nokia Research Center and Senior Vice-President of the Nokia Corporation.

The European People's Party has already made it perfectly clear with its Congress in Brussels held 3 weeks ago (4/2-6/2), that the EPP is the only European party dealing with the issues of the upcoming 21st century by developing constructive solutions. The EPP Group in the European Parliament will continue this important work. The EPP is aware of its responsability for Europe and the European citizens. The EPP Group in the European Parliament is an important and necessary counterweight to a Socialist dominated Europe. Solutions for the existing and necessary tasks of Europe can only be found by hard and competent work on the issues themselves, but not by passing manifestos devoid of substance, such as the Euro-Socialists are trying to deceive the European citizens with.


For more information please call:
Philipp M. Schulmeister, EPP Press Service, Tel.: 0032-75 79 00 21