DIFFERENT VOICES

Date: 05/09/1996

“If I was in Brussels, I could sort the issue out within a month.”

Former Agriculture Commissioner Ray MacSharry criticising his former Brussels colleagues and EU governments for a series of PR disasters which have exacerbated the mad cow crisis, in an interview with 'The Grocer' magazine.

“We are determined, without any 'if' and 'but', to apply the criteria of the Maastricht Treaty.”

German Chancellor Helmut Kohl speaking after a weekend meeting with French President Jacques Chirac where both men sought to allay fears that the single currency plan was in jeopardy by reaffirming their commitment to it.

“The Germans and the French will be at the same rendezvous at the same time and under the same conditions.” French President Jacques Chirac speaking after his meeting with Kohl and seeking to quash renewed speculation that his country would not meet the 1 January 1999 deadline for economic and monetary union.

“The red lights are still flashing for most countries.”

Wim Duisenberg, Dutch central bank chief and president-designate of the European Monetary Institute, warning that although the EU had come a long way towards securing stable inflation and exchange rates, more remained to be done to turn the EMU dream into a reality.

“Dropping the Euro would be more expensive than introducing it.”

Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler speaking in Vienna this week.

“We hope the Euro will soon start to compete with the dollar as a major black market currency.”

One EU official commenting wryly on the recent news that 60 billion US dollars are currently in circulation in Russia.

“For them, it is not about 'whether' they will join, but about the 'how' and the 'when'. Enlargement is necessary and there are no alternatives ... But on the other hand, we cannot sacrifice hard-won progress. It has to be done properly, otherwise the whole idea of integration is in danger.”

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel insisting enlargement was only a matter of time, but stressing much work remained to be done before the EU could admit the countries now queuing up to join.