Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-23-Speech-4-093"
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"en.20031023.2.4-093"2
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"Mr President, I regret having to address something that is an internal group matter, but, on Tuesday, our group agreed with the rapporteur that this item 8 would be amended, as it is drafted in a misleading way. The fact that this was not done obliged a number of Members, including Mrs Pack and myself, to vote against this report on the grounds that its infelicitous drafting gave the impression that the Western Balkans, Belarus, the Ukraine and Moldavia were among the neighbouring regions of Europe rather than of the European Union. There is no doubt, though, that these states form part of Europe, and, self-evidently, the Western Balkans also have the prospect of accession – indeed, ever since Thessaloniki, the right of accession, too – as soon as these states fulfil the European Union’s criteria.
I therefore object to the way in which this form of words puts the Western Balkans on the same level as West Africa and the Southern Caucasus. That is quite nonsensical. I do assume, however, that the expression ‘Western Balkans’ does not mean Croatia, as this House, on the basis of an amendment that I jointly got introduced into another report by Mr Brok, decided as long ago as 9 April this year that it regards Croatia as a candidate for accession in 2007."@en1
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