Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg leaves for Barcelona on March 14 to participate in the meeting of the European Council in Barcelona. For the first time presidents and prime ministers of EU candidate states will participate in a working meeting of the European Council. In a letter to the leaders of the candidate countries, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, whose country currently holds the rotating leadership of the European Union, on Saturday asked the 13 candidate countries from the East to join leaders from the 15 EU nations in the northeastern Spanish port city of Barcelona on March 15-16. Three separate work meetings are expected to take place on Friday, the opening day of the summit: one with the presidents and prime minsiters, another with the foreign ministers and a third gathering the finance ministers. Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Passy will also be in Spain. He is scheduled to meet with his Spanish counterpart Josep Pique and with Defence Minister Federico Trillo. Passy will probably meet with Senate spokesperson Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma, as well.On March 15 Passy will attend a session of the EU's General Affairs Council in Barcelona.