Vol. 526 No. 6
116 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received any communications from the French or German Governments in preparation for the EU Summit in Nice, France; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27568/00]
Aside from technical messages outlining the logistical arrangements for the meeting, I have not received any formal communications from the French or German Governments in preparation for the Nice European Council. It is likely that a formal letter from President Chirac to the members of the European Council, outlining the Presidency's expectations for Nice, will issue three or four days before the meeting but this is not yet to hand. President Chirac is also due to visit Dublin on 30 November, to exchange views on the business before the summit.
The various Council formations, and in particular the General Affairs Council which next meets on 4 December, are involved in preparing issues for Nice. There are, of course, extensive and ongoing contacts between Irish officials and their counterparts in other EU member states and in the EU institutions dealing with all the issues on the EU's agenda, including those likely to be discussed at Nice. In particular, we have received a considerable volume of intergovernmental conference documentation from the French Presidency, copies of which are available on the relevant European Union web site.
