European Council of Florence, 21-22/06/1996

Under the Presidency of Romano Prodi, Italian Prime Minister, the European Council was held in Florence on 21-22 June 1996. The Council was preceded by an exchange of views with Klaus Hänsch, President of the European Parliament, and followed by a meeting with the Heads of State and Government and Foreign Ministers of the associated countries of Central Europe, including Slovenia and the Baltic countries, as well as Cyprus and Malta. On the sidelines of this meeting, agreements were signed between the EU and Chile and Uzbekistan respectively. Noting its agreement on the framework for action presented by the European Commission regarding the eradication of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”), the Florence European Council resolved the political difficulties related to this issue. Regarding employment, there is a communication from the European Commission entitled “Action for Employment in Europe: A Confidence Pact”, which calls on EU institutions, Member State Governments, regional and local authorities, as well as social partners to mobilize specifically in an integrated approach. Furthermore, the European Council gave new impetus to the Intergovernmental Conference by setting its objectives and timeline.