Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-05-Speech-3-056"

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"Mr President, I should first of all like to warmly congratulate Commissioner Verheugen. In Germany, there is a ‘Chancellor of Unity’ and now also a ‘Commissioner for the Unification of Europe’. My sincere congratulations on this. I am particularly glad that, in your report, you have quite clearly given priority to the political criteria in respect of Turkey. This is an important point. It is evident that the progress made is significant to the Turkish public. I think we should note this with a sense of gratitude. Secondly, I have to conclude from your report that you are fairly disappointed with what has actually happened. So am I, to say the least. I thought that more would have been done than has actually been the case, especially with regards to the position of the army; this at any rate, is evident from your report. These are matters with major implications. Your optimism concerning the ten countries that will be joining the EU on 1 May relates to minor aspects that can still be ironed out. I think that the big step towards the democratic constitutional state – which still has to be taken in practice – is of such a scale that we can hardly expect this to be completed in a year from now. Correct me if I am wrong, Commissioner, but is the date of December 2004 either the date on which we will no longer take our political community of values as such seriously, or as the date on which the guillotine comes down on Turkey's membership? In that sense, I think that this date is causing us increasing anxiety. Would it therefore not be preferable, in respect of Turkey, if we were to focus on programme-based progress, or guidance, on the road to a democratic constitutional state?"@en1

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