Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-09-Speech-3-010"
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"en.20021009.4.3-010"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is with great emotion that I take the floor to speak to this House today.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the report we adopted today also highlights the remaining deficiencies in some sectors, for some countries. These failings have to be remedied before accession: the Commission will work with the authorities of these countries to ensure that the problems are resolved in good time. Our concerns continue to be centred on the administrative capacity of these countries and their justice systems, which are undermined by a lack of financial and, above all, human resources. We have endeavoured to address these problems through a EUR 250 million support programme. This programme is starting to bear fruit.
Another weakness we have identified is inadequate preparation for implementation of the acquis in a number of crucial areas, namely customs services, taxation, veterinary and plant-health controls, the institutions managing and supervising agricultural policy and, lastly, the departments in charge of managing and controlling the Structural Funds.
I should also mention a further two extremely serious problems: the corruption affecting many of these countries, with a few exceptions, and the shameful issue of the trafficking of human beings. This does not mean that nothing has been done in these fields. On the contrary, a great deal has been achieved already and the operation is almost complete in some countries. However, our report stresses the scrupulous monitoring the Commission has undertaken to conduct up until accession. We shall publish a final evaluation six months before the date of accession.
To cope with the complexities of enlargement, the Commission will take all the necessary measures to reorganise its departments, increasing monitoring and support for the new Member States after accession and providing pre-accession aid for the countries that will follow those covered by today’s recommendation.
Mr President, our objective is still to sign the Accession Treaty in spring 2003. We are therefore entering the final stages of the process. In this regard, the Commission hopes that the Brussels European Council of 24 and 25 October will take the necessary decisions on the chapters still open, namely agriculture, financial issues and institutions. In this way, we can negotiate and conclude these chapters before Copenhagen. As regards Bulgaria and Romania, the Commission will put forward proposals for an enhanced pre-accession strategy in good time for adoption by the Copenhagen Council. Then for Turkey, which does not yet meet the accession criteria, the Commission will propose an enhanced pre-accession strategy with extra financial resources in the new year.
The Treaty of Nice is still crucial and cannot be sidestepped. I therefore place my confidence in the Irish electorate, which will be voting on the Treaty again in a few days. I hope that the achievement of the historic objective of unifying our continent will not be jeopardised by this vote.
Lastly, let me focus on the issue of Cyprus. Let us hope for real progress towards reunification of the island, even though the conclusions of the Helsinki European Council do not make it a precondition for entry. The Commission wants a reunited Cyprus to join the EU and believes this is the best solution for all. In recommending that the Council conclude negotiations speedily with Cyprus, the Commission is issuing a fresh appeal to the parties concerned to work towards reunification of the island. We call upon everyone to support the process now under way under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General so that a solution can be found before the year's end. The Seville European Council has already affirmed that the European Union ‘would accommodate the terms of such a comprehensive settlement in the Treaty of Accession in line with the principles on which the European Union is founded.’
Ladies and gentlemen, all too often, I hear talk about the risks and costs of enlargement. I believe we can and must discuss this calmly and openly, for the costs have been analysed in detail and they are in line with the resources available. However, we should also – and above all – be telling the public about the benefits of enlargement, which are stability in Europe, unification of an artificially divided continent and the creation of the biggest single market in the world. Enlargement will unite us with economies that have lower incomes than the present Member States but which have greater growth potential. The situation was exactly the same in 1985, when the accession negotiations with Spain and Portugal were concluded. Now, nobody could doubt the validity and farsightedness of that decision, although at the time it was controversial.
Enlargement is the new front line of the European project. It will give impetus to trade, investment, education and research. And to economic growth. As regards the costs of enlargement, we know that they are sustainable until 2006 because they are included in the Berlin financial perspective. I shall not hide the fact that the accession of ten countries will entail a significant financial burden, within the framework I have described, but this will be more than fully offset by the benefits brought by the consolidation of enlargement.
Enlargement is not just about economics, however. It is important primarily for political and ethical reasons. Enlargement is the culmination of the process of European integration: the process that has given us half a century of peace and prosperity must be extended to the whole continent.
When I took office, I made a commitment – before this very House – to make enlargement the top priority of my Commission, to make my Commission the Commission of enlargement, because in enlarging the European Union we will be consolidating an area of peace, security and democracy throughout the European continent. Three years later, I am standing here before you once again to tell you that this commitment has been honoured. The Commission has done its job and kept its promise.
Consider the recent events in the Balkans, where there have been thousands of deaths, whole communities have been forced to flee as refugees and entire cities have been destroyed. Enlargement is our political masterpiece since it will prevent such things happening. From this broader and more accurate perspective, the cost of enlargement is very slight compared with the cost of non-enlargement.
In the coming months, we need to conduct a realistic and positive information campaign. We must touch the hearts and minds of our citizens. Enlargement has been made possible by great determination, tremendous political courage and a farsighted vision of history. Moreover, it will be a test of our commitment to our principles, for accession will force us to change as well as bringing big changes for the new Member countries.
This is the task of the Convention. The institutional reforms that come out of it will have to be just as courageous and farsighted as our endeavours have been. It must be understood that, without radical, intelligent reform of the institutions, the success of enlargement could turn out to be unsustainable. Indeed, the new Europe needs a clear, stable geographical shape and institutional framework that all our citizens can understand. In other words, the time has come for a European constitution. A constitution that guarantees the rights of all the citizens and the role of the Member States. A constitution that preserves cultural and linguistic diversity whilst reinforcing solidarity. A constitution that completes the creation of a democratic European Union, a genuine union of peoples and States.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to conclude by looking beyond the impending enlargement, beyond its historical and geographical limits. We are inviting the new countries to join our Union because we want peace and stability across the whole continent. However, this process must not result in new barriers being erected just when we are trying to break down the old ones. We must keep this in mind when building new relations with our neighbours after enlargement. Here, I am thinking of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. They will be the new neighbours of the enlarged Union, which will one day extend to the Balkans region too.
Focusing on our new European neighbours, however, should not make us any less receptive to the ever-increasing expectations of the Mediterranean countries, expectations that we have not yet managed to fulfil.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the process of European integration that started half a century ago has earned us the admiration and respect of the entire world. We alone are building a genuine, practical model for managing globalisation, if only across our continent. This globalisation is a democratic globalisation with a human dimension, a globalisation in which all citizens have an equal role. Our enlargement is an example to the whole world and a visionary act: it unites the whole continent for the first time and it makes us protagonists of history once more.
The Commission has carried out a careful study of the progress made by the candidate countries and I can now announce the names of the countries with which we recommend the Council should conclude negotiations by the end of 2002. I will now, if I may, read out the key points of the recommendations we adopted today.
‘Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia fulfil the political criteria. Bearing in mind the progress achieved by these countries, the track record in implementing their commitments, and taking into account their preparatory work in progress and foreseen, the Commission considers that these countries will have fulfilled the economic and acquis
criteria and will be ready for membership from the beginning of 2004. The Commission therefore recommends to conclude the accession negotiations with these countries by the end of this year with the aim to sign the Accession Treaty in spring 2003.’
In view of Bulgaria's and Romania's progress over the last year, the Commission notes the date – 2007 – that those countries have set themselves for accession. The Commission will do everything necessary to ensure that this objective can be achieved.
Through constitutional reform and a series of legislative packages, Turkey has made considerable progress as regards the Copenhagen criteria. However, further efforts are needed. The Commission is therefore recommending that the European Union give more support and allocate more resources to Turkey's pre-accession preparations. To this end, the Commission will propose a revised Accession Partnership and step up legislative scrutiny. Turkey is encouraged to pursue its reform process and so advance its candidacy for European Union membership.
Ladies and gentleman, just 13 years ago, Berlin was still divided by the wall of shame. The wall has been pulled down and Germany has been reunified. This re-establishment of freedom has allowed us to restore the historical unity of the peoples of Europe. Our common destiny is once again to build a common future, a future built on the fundamental values we share of peace, democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the protection of minorities.
In 1993, the Copenhagen European Council offered the countries of Central and Eastern Europe the chance to join the European Union. Since then, these countries have gone through a huge process of change, moving peacefully from dictatorship to stable, participatory democracy.
Their achievements are extraordinary. In the space of a decade, we have seen the holding of dozens of transparent, democratic national, regional and local elections, the adoption of thousands of laws and regulations giving shape to the new democracies and incorporating the Community acquis into national law, the training of tens of thousands of civil servants and magistrates to interpret and apply the new legislation and the participation of hundreds of thousands of elected officials, specialists and members of professional organisations in EU-financed training and cooperation projects in order to learn about our policies. All 12 countries satisfy the political criteria laid down at Copenhagen and democratic institutions are stronger everywhere. Lastly, the overall performance of the economies of the ten first-wave countries is gradually improving: their growth rates are higher than ours, their inflation rates and deficits are being managed and kept under control and direct foreign investment is flooding in. This proves that the markets have confidence."@en1
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