On January 19-20, 2001, Chairman of the Yabloko Association Grigory Yavlinsky will participate in the 5th International Forum of the Bertelsmann Foundation to be held in Berlin under the slogan “Europe without Frontiers”, that will be devoted to the strategies and scenarios for expanding the European Union.

The Forum will discuss ways of reforming the EU in view of the decisions of the summit of the heads of the EU member states held at the end of 2000. The summit passed a decision to admit 12 new member-states into the EU, which will almost double the number of EU member-states.

The following top officials will participate in the Forum: the Federal Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroder, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Hubert Vedrine, Prime Minister of Spain Jose Maria Aznar Lopez, President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, President of Latvia Valdas Adamkus, President of Yugoslavia Vojislav Kostunica, Chairman of the EU Romano Prodi, Head of the Foreign Affairs Department of the EU Javier Solana and others.

On January 20 on behalf of Russia Yavlinsky will make a report “European Security and Defence Policy: a New Responsibility”.

On January 21 Yavlinsky will participate in the work of the second day of the All-Russia Emergency Congress in the Defence of Human Rights, to be held in Moscow on January 20-21. The speech of Yabloko’s leader is scheduled for 12.30.