Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland met with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, for a working dinner Tuesday evening in Strasbourg.

Discussions focused on increasing co-operation between the Council of Europe and the European Union, including in the field of both organisations' neighbourhood policies. The Secretary General and the Commission President also agreed to intensify joint efforts to combat corruption in Europe. President Barroso welcomed the Council of Europe's initiatives to support reforms of the judiciary in several of its member states.