AP

Denmark, which holds the European Union's presidency, will invite leaders from 10 candidate countries to an extra meeting in October to brief them on final expansion plans for the bloc, a government official said Thursday.

The meeting was tentatively set for Oct. 28 in Copenhagen, two days after an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, at which leaders from the 15-nation bloc are expected to complete talks on aid for farmers and poor regions in the candidate countries.

"We are working on organizing a meeting to brief the candidate countries about the outcome of the meeting in Brussels," said an official with the prime minister's office, who declined to be named. "No negotiations will be held, it will only be a briefing."

The Danes will invite the government leaders from Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovakia, which are expected to join the bloc by 2004.

Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, which are on a slower track to membership, also will be invited, the official said.

Final negotiations for membership are expected to occur at a December summit in Copenhagen.
Funding of farmers and poor regions in the candidate nations are among the biggest hurdles in the EU's plans to expand eastward, with potential new members including mostly former communist countries still facing economic woes.

EU members Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden seek a reform of farm subsidies - amounting to half the EU budget of 100 billion euros (dollars) this year - before newcomers join. France and others oppose this.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!