Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-04-13-Speech-3-236"
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"en.20050413.19.3-236"2
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".
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today we voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of Bulgaria and Romania joining the EU. There can be no question that something resembling enlargement fatigue has set in, both among the Members of this House – including some of those who voted in favour – and among the public. It has been a particularly challenging task of late to discuss the next rounds of enlargement, but the Council, the Commission and Parliament must work together to explain to the public that this is the only way in which this region can be stabilised. We must also make it clear that negative developments in these countries lead to an increased risk of various problems such as cross-border crime, corruption or renewed outbreaks of ethnic conflicts, and that this risk can be averted only if the countries have a clear prospect of European integration. I am extremely grateful to the Presidency and the Commission for having emphasised this point today.
Our attention must now be focused firmly on this region, particularly in view of the decisions we have taken today, and I am grateful to the Council for having found a solution aimed at helping Croatia. This solution involves close monitoring of the steps taken by the country with a view to handing Gotovina over to the Hague Tribunal, and I hope that both parties will set about adopting it without delay, as this would enable us to open negotiations with Croatia in the near future. Croatia made a great deal of progress under previous governments, and there is a real chance that the present government could act as a beacon or a driving force – depending on which analogy you prefer – for the rest of the region. Any agreement we reach with Croatia should therefore not be seen as an attack on Serbia or any other country, as it would be intended to benefit the region as a whole.
Of course, I am sure that we would all be delighted if Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo were to join together in perfect harmony to form one country. Given everything that has happened, however, particularly as far as Kosovo is concerned, this is highly unlikely. I am therefore of the opinion that a way should be found in which these countries – or at any rate Kosovo – can gain independence whilst still maintaining their existing historical and ethnic links. Regardless of whether the Community of Independent States is taken as a model or whether another form of cooperation is established, I would ask the Council and the Commission to be as imaginative as possible when working on this task, as it is essential that we come up with a serious solution to the problem of Serbia and Montenegro, as well as to that of Kosovo, before the end of 2006. I can assure you that this House will be right behind you if the proposals you put forward are good ones."@en1
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