Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-04-09-Speech-3-041"
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"en.20030409.3.3-041"2
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".
Mr President, when, in 1997, the European Parliament appointed me as the rapporteur for Slovakia's EU membership application, some of my colleagues looked at me with pity. Did that country have any chance at all, given the shadowy, authoritarian style of the Meciar Government? If anyone had asked me at the time whether the country would accede to the EU at the same time as the other Visigrad 4 countries, I would probably have said no.
Fortunately, things turned out differently, and on this solemn occasion here today I can wholeheartedly recommend that Slovakia be admitted to the European Union. It is in no way inferior to the other candidates who are on the membership list for next year. Because Slovakia's failure to meet the democratic criteria meant that it was not included in the first negotiation group, the quality of its constitutional state has been checked and tested more than that of the other candidates. I have received the occasional complaint about that, but the country has, perhaps more than others, been made aware of the importance of the values on which the European Union is founded.
After the 1998 elections, which marked the end of the Meciar era, there has been a significant improvement thanks to the introduction of a directly elected president, the democratic decentralisation of the administration, the increased independence of the judiciary and the measures to improve the position of minorities.
There are, however, a number of problems that are so stubborn that they are unlikely to be resolved in the immediate future. In a sense these therefore constitute a threat to Slovak society. They are not unique. Other candidates are also wrestling with them, but their seriousness is sometimes underestimated. We should therefore welcome the fact that the Slovak Government has also submitted a serious approach to the European Parliament. I am talking about the fight against corruption and an improvement in the position of the Roma. We have been hammering away quite hard at both points over the last few years – too hard for some people's liking. We have apparently been too impatient. It takes time to tackle these problems. That may be true, but something is now finally happening thanks to our pestering – if I may use that word. We have been given assurances on the basis of which we can always call the new Member States to account after their accession.
Two more criteria were formulated at the Copenhagen Council. I have been able to ascertain that Slovakia meets the market requirements. The internal debate on this subject is at times so radical that I sometimes wonder whether people have actually taken the trouble to find out what the principles of the social market economy are really about. Slovakia also needs an active government that strives for social equilibrium and makes every effort to support the development of the poorer regions.
As far as her ability to implement all the community rules is concerned, this country is no different from the other candidate Member States. She has already achieved a great deal, but the task is not yet finished, and a lot has already been said about this today, including with regard to the other countries. We await the next progress report from the Commission. I hope, however, particularly when it comes to preparing for the use of community funds, that the Slovakians are ready in time so that they are actually able to absorb this money.
So neither my last report, again today, nor the explanatory note I wrote with my recommendation are completely free from criticism. In Slovakia, they have gradually come to expect that from me. In all the years that I have been doing this work, I have tried to present myself as a rapporteur of the European Parliament and not as an ambassador for Slovakia. That is the task of others, and they have been doing an excellent job.
Naturally I am rather biased because of my intensive contact with Slovakia and her people. They absolutely do not deserve the reputation Meciar has given them. I admire the way in which one of the youngest states in Europe has been able to wrest itself from a complicated past and the speed with which it has brought itself up to the same level as the others. The time has now come to go forward together."@en1
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