71.   Candidate countries appeared to get a boost from German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.

72.   Candidate countries are demanding equal treatment for their farmers.

73.   Candidate countries are represented in the Convention by Lojze Peterle, the former Slovenian prime minister.

74.   Candidate countries said the bloc should do the same.

75.   EU foreign ministers failed to agree Monday on a common position on farm aid for enlargement candidate countries, European officials said.

76.   Former Slovenian Prime Minister Lojze Peterle was designated Monday to represent EU candidate countries on the agenda-setting body of the Convention on the Future of Europe.

77.   The proposal has been criticized as discriminatory by candidate countries.

78.   The ten candidate countries called for immediate full access to EU aid funds upon accession in their joint statement.

79.   Unhappy with the list was Turkey, an EU candidate country.

80.   To avoid having prospective members waste scarce funds, NATO has been encouraging candidate countries to specialize.