Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has invited to his Madrid office tomorrow (5 January) a number of personalities who are considered as Europe's `wise men', with the view of regularly consulting them, the Spanish press writes. Those invited for consultation include Jacques Delors, the long-serving Commission President (1985-1994) who is considered as one of the 'fathers of Europe'. Felipe González, former Spanish Prime minister (1982-1996) and chairman of a reflection group on the future of Europe will also join, alongside former Spanish commissioner Pedro Solbes (1999-2004).
Those invited for consultation include Jacques Delors, the long-serving Commission President (1985-1994) who is considered as one of the 'fathers of Europe'.
Felipe González, former Spanish Prime minister (1982-1996) and chairman of a reflection group on the future of Europe will also join, alongside former Spanish commissioner Pedro Solbes (1999-2004).
The Spanish EU presidency plans to set up a special unit aimed at sharing counter-terrorism intelligence among member states, according to Spanish media. El Pais reports that the new body will facilitate the direct exchange of intelligence between two or several member states in close co-operation with the existing special counter-terrorism co-ordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, and the EU situation centre - a Brussels-based crisis management unit which includes counter-terrorism activities. National counter-terrorism units in Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Portugal support the plan, sources within the Spanish interior ministry told the newspaper.
El Pais reports that the new body will facilitate the direct exchange of intelligence between two or several member states in close co-operation with the existing special counter-terrorism co-ordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, and the EU situation centre - a Brussels-based crisis management unit which includes counter-terrorism activities.
National counter-terrorism units in Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Portugal support the plan, sources within the Spanish interior ministry told the newspaper.
An unidentified hacker briefly hijacked Spain's official website for its presidency of the European Union, inserting a large smiling picture of comic character Mr Bean, an official said on Monday. The supposed resemblance of the bumbling slapstick character played by British actor Rowan Atkinson to Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been a running joke in Spain for years. A recent edition of leading newspaper El Pais printed a cartoon depicting Zapatero as Mr Bean above an article critical of the government's handling of the economy, in which unemployment has more than doubled to about 19 percent.
The supposed resemblance of the bumbling slapstick character played by British actor Rowan Atkinson to Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has been a running joke in Spain for years.
A recent edition of leading newspaper El Pais printed a cartoon depicting Zapatero as Mr Bean above an article critical of the government's handling of the economy, in which unemployment has more than doubled to about 19 percent.
