swpat to be council A point *again*?

[MJ Ray]

The European Commission holds press briefings around noon CET
each day. You can watch them on Europe by Satellite via 13 east,
or listen to mp3 audio online at http://europa.eu.int/comm/ebs/

Yesterday, there was a question on software patents (transcript
below). In both question and answer, it mentions that the
Luxembourg presidency will propose it as an A point (= no
discussion) yet again next week. Should we do anything?

I'm a bit confused. Next AgFish looks like 28 Feb (it's
another terrible web site). Is it being shoved elsewhere?
http://ue.eu.int/cms3_applications/applications/meetings/getworkingProgram.asp?lang=en&cmsID=368


4m50s in on ftp://video:videofiles@158.169.50.2/press/audiovisual/mp3/37968.mp3

Simon: You may have answered this last week, but on the software
patents proposal, you're probably aware that the Luxembourg
presidency is going to put the bullet of agreement back on
the table as an A point next week. Does the commission have a
view on this, given the very strong message that he received
from the parliament to re-present a proposal, the fact that the
council seems prepared to persue the original track rather than
restarting the process as the parliament asked?

Well, Commissioner Charlie McCreevy was with the legal affairs
committee of the European Parliament last Wednesday, just
before the vote take place in the committee where the request
was made that this be put forward to the first reading.  Well,
the opinion of the commission at this stage, as expressed by
the Commissioner then as well, is that we keep our options open,
and that I can repeat that again, that we keep our options open
because as you just said it will be an A point on the [indistinct]
council and the official request from the parliament has
not yet reached the commission because that has to be decided
by the conference of presidents of the European Parliament.
So for us, it's now a moment where we keep the options open and
see how we can move best forwards when we have more information
on what both the other institutions are going to do with this,
in this respect.

-- 
MJR/slef