Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-07-09-Speech-3-352"
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"en.20080709.34.3-352"2
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"Ladies and gentlemen, we must not close the door on accession to those countries which seek it, since our founding treaties state that any European State which wishes to accede to the European Union should be able to do so.
Early accessions have been very successful, and that is the direction in which things should continue to move. We must not demotivate candidates for accession. It is not for us to decide whether they want to become fully democratic countries, although the three Copenhagen criteria should be complied with 100%.
As I am from the ‘new Europe’, I personally know how important it was for us to have the opportunity to join the European Union, how it inspired us to undertake reforms and redouble our efforts. We should not deny the republics of the former Soviet Union the opportunity of becoming fully European States governed by the rule of law. I refer here above all to our closest neighbours Ukraine and Moldova.
Europe’s credibility and those countries’ future are in the balance. It is important to keep them on the path towards Europe. The European Union should abide by its promises and continue its natural process of enlargement. Momentum will be provided by accession, not by standing still. All the talk of absorption capacity is mere hypocrisy to pull the wool over the eyes of the uninitiated."@en1
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