Strengthening Europe-Macao Relations

(Macao 20 June 2006)The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today (Brussels time) after a visit to the European Parliament that he would invite the members of the parliament to visit Macao to further strengthen Europe-Macao relations. Mr Ho began the second day of his official visit to the European Union and Belgium with meetings with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr Guy Verhofstadt over breakfast, followed by a walk in the Central Plaza of Brussels. Later, Mr Ho attended a luncheon hosted by the Portuguese members of the European Parliament. He spend the afternoon visiting the European Parliament, and held meetings with the Chairman of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with China, Mr Dirk Sterckx; member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, Mr Bastiaan Belder; and the Vice President of the European Parliament, Mr Alejo Vidal-Quadras. Mr Ho said after the meeting that he had briefed his Europe counterparts on Macao’s latest development and the implementation of “One Country, Two Systems” principle in the SAR. He said that Both Macao and the European Parliament had the will to carry out a programme of friendly communication between the parliament and Macao, which was proposed by the Portuguese members of the European Parliament two years ago, but had never been realised due to a number of reasons and the election of the parliament. He said the programme allowed the SAR Government to invite the members of the European Parliament to visit Macao, which would definitely promote mutual understanding between Macao and Europe and strengthen relations. Later in the afternoon, Mr Ho and the Flemish Minister for Public Works, Energy, the Environment and Nature, Mr Kris Peeters, attended the signing ceremony of a co-operation agreement between Waterleau Global Water Technology NV, ATAL Engineering Limited and China Engineer and Construction Company (Macao). The three companies had formed a joint venture, which had won the bid for the expansion of the Coloane Water Treatment Plant in Macao. The Belgian company, Waterleau, was the developer of the Lucas System, which is the main technical solution for the project. Mr Ho will end his visit in Brussels and begin the second leg of his European visit in Portugal.