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The European Conference was created as a forum for political consultation on issues of common interest to the EU Member States and the candidate countries. Turkey has started to participate in the European Conference since a meeting held at ministerial level in Sochaux on 23 November 2000. Another conference, held at the level of Heads of State and Government on 7 December 2000, provided an opportunity for discussing the institutional reform and the operation of the Union in the longer term.
The Nice European Council proposed ``that the countries covered by the stabilisation and association process and the EFTA countries be invited to attend as prospective members''. The Göteborg European Council stated that ``the European Conference will convene in its current composition under the Belgian Presidency. With a view to strengthening the Union's partnership with Ukraine and Moldova, they will subsequently be invited to join the Conference''. At the last meeting of the European Conference held on 20 October 2001 at ministerial level in Brussels, which showed a remarkable unity of purpose, the fight against international terrorism was discussed.
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