Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-23-Speech-3-010"
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"en.20021023.1.3-010"2
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"Mr President, I have been asked to make a statement entitled ‘Preparation for the European Council meeting in Brussels on 24–25 October 2002’.
Russia has pressed home its desire to obtain the right to visa-free transit by train through Lithuania. This is a solution which entails many problems of a technical, economic, legal and political nature. The EU has not, however, ruled out examining the possibility, and the Presidency will continue to work towards a solution which satisfies all parties to the greatest possible extent and can win the support of the European Council. The guidelines I mentioned here were followed at yesterday’s General Affairs Council in Luxembourg. Agreement was reached yesterday on making the provision I referred to: that Lithuania must be able to become a member of Schengen at the same time as the other candidate countries if it wishes; and it does. This is the EU’s position, and it seems to me, therefore, that the 15 governments have prepared themselves as well as possible for the discussions which are to take place at the European Council meeting in Brussels, and also for the subsequent talks with Russia which are to be conducted by the Presidency, and which will culminate in the EU–Russia Summit in Copenhagen in November.
On the subject of the Convention, the European Council, in conformity with the Laeken Declaration, will hear a report at the Brussels meeting from the Chairman of the Convention, Mr Giscard d’Estaing, on the progress which has been made with the Convention’s work. Helping the work of the Convention along is an important ambition of the Presidency’s. The Convention has got off to a good start, and has now moved on to the important analysis stage. The number of proposals is rising, the mounds of paper are growing, and it seems to me that we have been witness to an extremely exciting debate on the future of Europe, both in and around the Convention. It has been a pleasure to see the firm commitment on the part of the members of the Convention, not least those members hailing from Parliament, who had been armed to the teeth, and who have made a particularly deep mark on the debate.
In the shape of the Convention, we see for the first time – and in the full glare of publicity – something as extraordinary as a genuine debate across European borders. This is not something we are accustomed to. As a rule, European politicians aim their contributions to the European debate at the public in their own, rather than other, countries. That is not, however, the case where this debate on the future of Europe is concerned; and this, I believe, bodes well for our ambition to create European cooperation which is more democratic and has grass-roots support.
As will have been clear from my statement, we have an extensive and ambitious agenda for the Brussels Summit. It is my hope and belief that all the countries will now show the necessary willingness to compromise and help to take the important decisions which I have spoken of here; and I shall not, of course, conceal the fact that the questions that remain are particularly tough nuts to crack, and here I am of course speaking of the economy.
I would like to repeat and underline that the European Council is looking forward to hearing what the President of Parliament, Mr Cox, has to say and to exchanging views with him. The importance of Parliament to the enlargement process is undisputed. Speaking almost with one voice, Parliament said very early on, first in the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy, and then in plenary, what was to be done. This has contributed to the momentum, the driving force, which means that the enlargement process cannot, we hope, be halted at the last minute. This is something for which, on behalf of the Presidency, I wish, moreover, to thank Parliament most warmly.
This meeting will play a central role in further work during the Danish Presidency. As we know, the agenda will be dominated by the important topic of enlargement and also, in this connection, the subject of Kaliningrad, in which the European Parliament has of course taken a great interest. The outcome of the meeting will be of great importance as regards the possibility of realising the common goal of concluding enlargement negotiations with up to 10 countries. Therefore, the important thing is for the European Council to reach as many decisions as possible, so that as little as possible remains to be done in Copenhagen. It is true that what remains could be really tough going.
At the European Council meeting, the Chairman of the Convention will inform the European Council of the status of the Convention’s work, and the President of the European Parliament will also speak to the European Council. Let me start with the latter. The meeting with the President of Parliament has become an established tradition which I know is valued highly by Heads of State and Government in the European Council.
Bearing in mind the agenda before us, it will of course be particularly interesting to hear the views of the President of Parliament on the issues the Council will be discussing, that is, enlargement, and also the related subject of Kaliningrad, which I shall come back to. It is very convenient that the discussion with the President of Parliament is taking place immediately before the working meetings on enlargement and Kaliningrad. In addition to the contribution of the President of Parliament, it is of course our hope that the meeting, including the opportunity to exchange information and ideas for use in further work, will prove beneficial to the President of Parliament and Parliament as a whole.
I now wish to say a little about enlargement. It is strongly to be hoped that decisions will be taken in Brussels on a number of very important subjects that could pave the way for enlargement. It must be decided which of the candidate countries will be able to conclude accession negotiations this year. The starting point will be the Commission’s progress reports on the individual candidate countries and the Commission’s strategy paper on enlargement as a whole, which was presented on 9 October by Commissioner Verheugen, who is also present here. On the basis of a comprehensive evaluation of the progress of each individual candidate country, the Commission concludes that 10 countries will be able to meet all the criteria by the start of 2004, and on that basis it is recommended that accession negotiations be concluded as planned here this year. At its meeting in Copenhagen, the European Council will also discuss those candidate countries which are not expected to be able to conclude negotiations this year (Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey), with a view to making decisions on the further course of the accession process for these countries.
Decisions are also to be taken in Brussels on the outstanding issues in the accession negotiations in connection with the financial package. There was agreement on the institutional issues at the General Affairs Council yesterday, and the European Council will amongst other things lay down, as part of the financial package, the total amount to be allocated to enlargement, candidate countries’ participation in the common agricultural policy, including their share of direct income support, and the total aid from the cohesion and structural funds to the candidate countries. The European Council should also take a decision on the matter of the net position of the candidate countries in relation to the EU budget, and agreement has been reached as to the basis for these calculations.
The debate on these subjects to date has shown that it will not be easy to reach agreement. The European Council in Seville concluded that the EU’s positions concerning the outstanding, financially onerous, chapters will be presented to the candidate countries at the beginning of November. That means that the Brussels European Council must take decisions on these matters if the timetable laid down in Seville is to be met. The Danish Presidency will insist on this, and so the meeting must go on until a solution has been found. As I have said, we can expect it to be very difficult. It will require a willingness to compromise on the part of everyone concerned, but a solution must be found.
In addition, Kaliningrad will be discussed, and on this point, too, significant progress was made at yesterday’s meeting in Luxembourg, from which both Mr Verheugen and myself have just returned. The matter was discussed in Seville: the Commission was asked to study the possibilities for an effective and flexible solution to the question of transit; a solution which would be in conformity with the
and would have the agreement of the candidate countries concerned. The Commission submitted its communication on 18 September. This has been discussed twice in the Council, and it was also discussed here in Parliament only last week, on 15 October. Together with the Commission, the Presidency has held a series of talks with Russia and consulted Lithuania, in particular, which is the candidate country most affected.
Over and above the principles on which the Seville mandate was based, the EU has emphasised Lithuania’s sovereign right to control its borders and to reserve the right to refuse entry. Furthermore, it has been laid down that a solution must not hinder or delay Lithuania’s full membership of Schengen. The Council has agreed to give Lithuania a guarantee in that respect, and ultimately the Council agrees that Lithuania must be compensated for any additional expense arising from a solution to the transit question."@en1
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