Persson: There was a very crisis-like situation during the summit where we reached an open conflict over the deregulation of electricity- and gas markets. We wrote that in the conclusions from the side of the chairmanship [Sweden at the time] on the maximum position just to demonstrate that we didn't agree on this issue... [mumble]  

Interviewer: Tell me, how did you think then, since it is even unusual to openly, openly...

Persson: Weeell, my point, the EU was heading into the worst of situations, namely where one is getting a permanent conflict. Those who have deregulated are pissed off at those who haven't deregulated, since those who haven't deregulated have monopoly corporations who make big profits, and enter those markets which are deregulated and out-competes other corporations. It's an unreasonable situation, it's not sustainable, that's what I tell my colleagues, we can't have it like this, we have to do something about it, and we who have deregulated we can't take it anymore, we really have to get a commitment from your side that you will also head for deregulation and not only say that it's important but also get a time table.

And that is of course, the time table, which is the problem. The other they can surely say, and are saying, which we will also say in the conclusion also, but then Aznar says, he completely agrees with my opinion, that... That he reserved the right to take actions, reciprocally, against those who enter Spain and are from countries who haven't deregulated. That one should, so to speak, in that way from the Spanish side go and say 'nah you can't compete on our market'.

And... Schröder supported that. Okay. Take it. [waves hand]Chirac and Jospin thought it sounded good too, take it! [waves hand]But I felt, what the fuck is this really, what is it they are doing? This goes against the whole basic idea of the inner market, that we should so to speak accept that national governments suddenly goes in and oppose, goes in and restricts the freedom of competition in areas where we have opened up and deregulated.

If we take a summit decision in Stockholm in this direction, then why can't we take it in other areas too? The principle is then broken and then what's left of the inner market?

So then I say to, to Prodi: - my entire political backbone tells me, I said, that this is not compatible with the treaty. I want the comment of the commission.  And then Prodi says: - There are no problems with the treaty. [waves hand] And then I say again, I don't surrender, I demand that the President of the commission really analyze this proposition. _MY_, opinion is that this is in conflict with the treaty.

And then his 'machine' which sits behind him starts sending notes to him and so on. And then sooner or later he gets a note from some chief of the legal deprtment which says, we can't take this, we can't do this, it's in conflict with the treaty.

So then, so to speak, it starts turning around, so we'll have to write it away, allright. So it went away, so to speak. But it was this close [shows tiny space between thumb and finger], if I had just followed Chirac, Schröder and Aznar, then we would have, and Schröder primarily, then we would have got a desicion which in practice would have been a deviation from the entire idea of the inner market. It would have been an immense setback.

So, it was very dramatic in the room, very dramatic in the room.