diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7ba8c30c3d..4448f1df59 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ FSFEUROPE = http://www.fsfeurope.org
 FSF       = http://www.fsf.org
 GNU       = http://www.gnu.org
 
+ECHO	  = echo 
+
 XSLTOPTS = \
 	'$$fsffrance=$(FSFFRANCE)' \
 	'$$fsf=$(FSF)' \
@@ -44,7 +46,7 @@ NEWS = news/news.fr.html news/news.en.html
 $(NEWS): fr/news/fsfe-fr-channel.fr.xml fr/news/fsfe-fr-channel.en.xml fr/news/news-bytes-latest.en.html fr/news/news-bytes-latest.fr.html
 
 $(ENPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe.xsl navigation.en.xsl
-	@echo "Building $@ ..."; \
+	@$(ECHO) "Building $@ ..."; \
 	path=$< ; \
 	base=`expr $$path : '\(.*\).xhtml'` ; \
 	filebase=`basename $$base` ; \
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ $(ENPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe.xsl navigation.en.xsl
 	rm -f $$base.html-temp
 
 $(FRPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe.xsl navigation.fr.xsl
-	@echo "Building $@ ..."; \
+	@$(ECHO) "Building $@ ..."; \
 	path=$< ; \
 	base=`expr $$path : '\(.*\).xhtml'` ; \
 	filebase=`basename $$base` ; \
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ $(FRPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe.xsl navigation.fr.xsl
 	rm -f $$base.html-temp
 
 $(DEPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe.xsl navigation.de.xsl
-	@echo "Building $@ ..."; \
+	@$(ECHO) "Building $@ ..."; \
 	path=$< ; \
 	base=`expr $$path : '\(.*\).xhtml'` ; \
 	filebase=`basename $$base` ; \
@@ -74,7 +76,7 @@ $(DEPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe.xsl navigation.de.xsl
 	rm -f $$base.html-temp
 
 $(PTPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe.xsl navigation.pt.xsl
-	@echo "Building $@ ..."; \
+	@$(ECHO) "Building $@ ..."; \
 	path=$< ; \
 	base=`expr $$path : '\(.*\).xhtml'` ; \
 	filebase=`basename $$base` ; \
diff --git a/fr/Makefile b/fr/Makefile
index 0ec9a88672..79475ea1a1 100644
--- a/fr/Makefile
+++ b/fr/Makefile
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 #
 XSLTPROC = sabcmd
 
+ECHO	 = echo
+
 FSFFRANCE = http://france.fsfeurope.org
 FSFEUROPE = http://www.fsfeurope.org
 FSF       = http://www.fsf.org
@@ -40,11 +42,11 @@ all: news $(ENPAGES) $(FRPAGES)
 news: $(NEWS)
 
 $(NEWS_COMPLETE): news/news-bytes.%.xhtml: news/fsfe-fr-channel.%.xml news/news.%.xsl
-	@echo "Building $@ ..."; \
+	@$(ECHO) "Building $@ ..."; \
 	$(XSLTPROC) news/news.$*.xsl news/fsfe-fr-channel.$*.xml $(XSLTOPTS) '$$fsffrance=$(FSFFRANCE)' > news/news-bytes.$*.xhtml
 
 $(NEWS_LATEST): news/news-bytes-latest.%.xhtml: news/fsfe-fr-channel.%.xml news/news-latest.%.xsl
-	@echo "Building $@ ..."; \
+	@$(ECHO) "Building $@ ..."; \
 	$(XSLTPROC) news/news-latest.$*.xsl news/fsfe-fr-channel.$*.xml $(XSLTOPTS) '$$fsffrance=$(FSFFRANCE)' > news/news-bytes-latest.$*.xhtml
 
 index.fr.html: news/news-bytes-latest.fr.xhtml
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ libre.en.html: libre-bytes.xhtml
 server/server.en.html: server/server.en.xhtml server/sysadmin-france.en.texi
 
 $(ENPAGES) $(FRPAGES): %.html: %.xhtml fsfe-fr.xsl navigation.en.xsl navigation.fr.xsl
-	@echo "Building $@ ..."; \
+	@$(ECHO) "Building $@ ..."; \
 	path=$< ; \
 	base=`expr $$path : '\(.*\).xhtml'` ; \
 	filebase=`basename $$base` ; \
diff --git a/swpat/patents-agenda.en.xml b/swpat/patents-agenda.en.xml
index 4c8cbd347c..eb95082846 100644
--- a/swpat/patents-agenda.en.xml
+++ b/swpat/patents-agenda.en.xml
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ Meeting to push states to accept software patents.
 <p />
 </dd>
 
-<dt>??? 2001</dt>
+<dt>2 January 2001</dt>
 <dd><i>FR, Government</i><br />
 <a href="http://www2.evariste.org/yolin/2001/internetetpme.html">Link</a><br />
 Jean-Michel YOLIN wrote a report for the french ministry of finance that