Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-04-06-Speech-3-596-000"
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"en.20110406.35.3-596-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I greatly appreciate the European Parliament’s active involvement in the enlargement process and its constructive participation in the general debate on enlargement, and, of course, specifically in the accession process of Iceland. As one of the most successful Union policies in EU history, the enlargement of the European Union is among the most important of our Presidency’s priorities.
On 17 June 2010, the European Council unanimously decided to grant Iceland candidate status. The first meeting of the accession conference at ministerial level took place on 27 July 2010, and November 2010 saw the start of the screening process, which is proceeding as planned. The next accession conference at ministerial level is scheduled for 27 June; this way, we will have the opportunity to take stock of the results achieved and, we hope, open up as many chapters as possible.
There are several particularly important areas which I would like to point out specifically. Parliament’s draft resolution also identifies these issues. In its 2010 report on the results achieved, the Commission concluded that Iceland meets the political criteria required for membership, and even though it was hit hard by the economic and financial crisis, it is suitably prepared to take the measures necessary to meet the requirements of EU membership. On 14 December 2010, the Council recalled, in its conclusions, that Iceland is a democracy that has a long history of good functioning, with strong institutions and close relations to the EU. It also concluded that Iceland’s general preparedness was sufficient for it to adopt and apply the EU
in particular, due to the fact that the country is a member of the European Economic Area and party to the Schengen Agreement. Iceland can be considered a functioning market economy and may, in the medium term, regain its ability to hold its own against the competitive pressure and market forces present in the Single Market.
The Council recalled that the negotiations are aimed at Iceland fully adopting and applying the EU
. The course of the negotiations will be determined by whether Iceland meets all of its obligations under the EEA Agreement, taking full account, among other things, of the European Council conclusions of 17 June 2010, and also by the results it achieves in eliminating other deficiencies identified in the Commission’s opinion. At the same time, the Council recalled, on the one hand, that while the accession negotiations are in progress, the EEA Agreement will continue to represent the fundamental treaty basis between Iceland and the EU and, on the other, that Iceland has also been an active and constructive partner over the past two years within this framework and with regard to the Schengen Area. The country has also achieved good results in applying the developing EU
. The Council therefore encouraged Iceland to continue this practice.
The European Parliament’s draft resolution paints a comprehensive picture of the results achieved and the tasks to be completed. As regards the latter, I would like to draw your attention to our common task, that is, the necessity for appropriate and in-depth communication with the public, both with regard to Icelandic and EU citizens. In the light of the above, I would once again like to point out that there is still very much work to be done, including during the Hungarian Presidency. As regards the Presidency, we are naturally counting on all Member States, the Commission and, of course, the European Parliament, to support Iceland in this endeavour. It is essential that we maintain the impetus of the work and thereby move the negotiations forward as much as possible while still in this half-year.
I am convinced that Iceland’s accession can become a success story. It may give impetus to the entire enlargement policy and enhance its success. The motto and goal of the Hungarian Presidency is a strong Europe. All progress made in Iceland’s accession process contributes to the achievement of this."@en1
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