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PRESIDENCY OF THE RÉPUBLIC

Paris, September 21st, 2007

Press release

President Nicolas Sarkozy and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern held their first meeting at the Elysée Palace today. The two leaders discussed a range of EU and international issues.

The two leaders welcomed the progress of the Intergovernmental Conference on the Reform Treaty. They re-iterated their commitment to the early completion of the IGC in accordance with the mandate from the European Council. The new Reform Treaty will provide the Union with the means to meet the many challenges facing today's Europe. These include the economic and social impact of globalisation; energy security and climate change; and the need to promote peace and stability in Europe and the wider world. They agreed that Europe's future can best be secured by continuing to work together at European level as we have done so successfully in the past. "They agreed that, while the clear priority is to ratify the Reform Treaty, a debate on how Europe should act in the more globalised world of 2020 - 2030 would be desirable and would be usefully prepared by a Committee of the Wise".

The President and the Taoiseach noted the Commission's publication of a discussion paper on the EU budget review. They look forward to cooperating closely in this exercise. They agreed that European agriculture is at the heart of major challenges facing the planet in this century: the food challenge, the environmental challenge and the energy challenge. The two leaders discussed the concept of a new ambition for European agriculture to meet these global challenges in the period after 2013. They agreed to maintain close contact on the Common Agricultural Policy " health check " and as the debate on the post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy unfolds in the coming years. The two leaders also exchanged views on the on-going WTO negotiations. They agreed that all parties must contribute to a successful outcome, which should be fair and balanced, taking into account the interests of all participants. The two leaders also agreed that the European Council should discuss the external dimension of the Lisbon strategy.

The President and the Taoiseach discussed the crisis in Darfur, which poses an immense challenge to the international community. They agreed that the humanitarian, political and security dimensions must all be addressed together urgently and that it was essential that the UN's recent decision to deploy a hybrid force be implemented rapidly and with support from the European Union.

The two leaders also reviewed the situation in Kosovo, where they agreed on the need for Europe to play a strong and united leadership role, and in the Middle East, where both share a long-standing commitment to a balanced two-state solution enabling Israel to live in peace and giving the Palestinian people a viable and sustainable state.

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