Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-11-06-Speech-3-181"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20021106.13.3-181"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, South Eastern Europe, or if you like the bankrupt estate of the former Yugoslavia, which was torn apart by bloody ethnic conflicts, putting Albania to one side, is essentially the parade ground for the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy. It is also its most severe test. Our efforts to provide these countries with economic and political support are much needed. We certainly should not put them on the back burner because of the enlargement of the European Union. In fact it is that very prospect of a future in Europe that we need to hold out to them. That is the purpose of the Stabilisation and Association Process for South East Europe.
I consider the rapporteur's proposal that priorities should be set an extremely sensible one. Kosovo's final status needs to be clarified as a matter of urgency, as does the structure of Serbia and Montenegro in terms of constitutional law. Until we have done that, it will simply not be possible to enter into negotiations on an association agreement. The ill-defined status of Kosovo is a latent source of uncertainty. It means that business has no trust whatsoever in the situation and that there is inadequate investment. This leads in turn to an increase in corruption and to a growing trend towards emigration, in other words migratory pressure that we in Austria are particularly, but not exclusively, sensitive to. One of the most important conditions, and this applies to the entire region, is to impose the rule of law, and to fight corruption and organised crime.
One very positive step here has been the creation of the Regional Centre for Combating Transborder Crime in Bucharest, and this centre will be represented at the relevant conference in London on 25 November. We visited this centre in Bucharest together with Dr Swoboda, and I should perhaps mention that those who work there include Austrian customs and police officials. It would be good if this centre had more input from Europe and not just from America.
Another point I consider important is that under its Special Coordinator, Erhard Bussek, the Stability Pact has taken a great many political initiatives. It should be possible for this work to continue, and we need to achieve rapid agreement both in the Council and in the Commission on appropriate budgets for and extension of the Stability Pact."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples