Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-16-Speech-3-175"
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"en.20010516.6.3-175"2
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"Mr President, as the President-in-Office and the Commissioner said, we are still in a very difficult, delicate situation when it comes to Macedonia/FYROM.
I still cannot see that there is the will to find a compromise and for understanding on both sides. But we must be clear on one thing: the KLA should not dictate events, developments and the pace of solutions in Macedonia. Nothing would please the KLA more than to parade the Albanian parties and dictate their demands and nothing would please the KLA more than overreaction on the part of the Slav-Macedonian parties. With all due respect for what Mrs Pack said – and I nearly always agree with her – I do not see the connection with Kosovo in the same light. Because the badly needed elections in Kosovo are elections for democracy, not for terrorist organisations like the KLA.
So what is to be done? First there are thoughts of changing the constitution and there is much to be said in favour of that. It is just that I think it should be determined with as few ethnic considerations as possible and geared to the rights of each and everyone under the rule of law.
Secondly, the Albanian minority definitely needs more judges, more policemen and more officials in the administration. Here again the primary concern must be qualification, with the ethnic principle coming second.
Thirdly, more certainly needs to be done in the area of education and training. In the medium to long term, we must assume that Tetovo University which, most importantly, has been substantially funded by the international community – with almost nothing from the Albanian diaspora, it must be said – will, at long last, become a public university. I think this is the right step to take.
I should like to address one more fundamental point: both the President-in-Office and the Commissioner mentioned the Stabilisation and Association Agreement. In fact, just such an agreement has also been initialled with Croatia. However, we must think one step ahead. I think that the region as a whole needs to be able to feel at home in Europe. Perhaps we should consider whether, as a matter of principle, we could check every two years after a Stabilisation and Association Agreement has been signed, if the country is willing and able to acquire candidate status for the European Union. Because when I look at Bulgaria and Romania on the one side and at Turkey on the other, there is a certain restrained – one might almost say unfair treatment of the Balkans. What was done in Zagreb was a good thing. But I think we should go one stage further and say to the region loud and clear: if you are willing to resolve all your economic, social and political problems, then you have a real chance of obtaining candidate status for the European Union. We in the European Union are prepared to check this with the countries with which we have already concluded agreements at regular intervals. Only the road to Europe, the vision, the realistic vision of belonging to Europe can bring about stability in this region. Not in the short term, but in the medium and long term. And this vision, this Utopia must be very a specific vision."@en1
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