EUROPEAN COMMISSION.

Main activities in the week beginning December 16:

* Weekly meeting, December 17 in Strasbourg. Items scheduled to appear on the agenda:

- Draft Decision on the revision and consolidation of the internal EU Budget debt recovery procedure

- Commission Regulation on the implementation of the Financial Regulation applicable to the EU General Budget

- Communication on the preparedness of the Commission services for incorporating the new Financial Regulation into their internal vetting systems;

- Communication on the decentralisation of ex ante control of staff transactions and transfers

- Operational allocation for Commission human resources and decentralised expenditure for 2003;

- Four competition case decisions;

- Decision on a Greek request to allow the use of heavy fuel oil with a maximum sulphur content of 3% on some of its territory;

- Joint Commission/Council report on a suitable and lasting pension system;

- Communication on the EU's election observation mission in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

* Travel and visits:

December 16: Mr Liikanen meets the US Under-Secretary for International Trade Administration, Grant Aldonas; Mr Lamy meets the German Minister for Agriculture, Renate Kunast; Messrs Nielson and Lamy meet the French Minister for...