Summary: January 18, 2005: Speech by Mr. Olli Rehn, Member of the European Commission, responsible for Enlargement, on the "State of Play: Enlargement process", at the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee (Brussels)
Chairman, Honourable Members,
The European Union took big strides towards further enlargement at the end of 2004. It closed accession talks with Bulgaria and Romania, which will join the Union in 2007 if they are ready. It set dates for the opening of negotiations with Croatia and Turkey, provided certain criteria are met.
You have already been informed by the President of the Commission and the Dutch Presidency of the results of the European Council in December. I shall today concentrate on what is next on our agenda.
Let me first recall that last year we welcomed ten new countries into the Union, which was a great success. After this "big bang" the EU needs to pace itself. Further enlargements must be carefully managed, to ensure that European citizens support them and that the Union maintains its capacity to act, or "the momentum of European integration".
My goal for my mandate until 2009 is to ensure that Bulgaria and Romania enter the Union fully prepared for membership; that negotiations with Croatia and Turkey get onto a good track, that we get started at least with FYROM, too; that Cyprus gets our full support in moving towards reconciliation and a final settlement; and that the pre-accession strategy for the Western Balkans is consolidated and moved forward, based on our previous work on enlargement.
On this basis, I'd like to give you an overview of the current situation:
1. Romania and Bulgaria
Romania and Bulgaria still have plenty of hard work to do before membership. In the coming months, the Commission will intensify its monitoring of the commitments and the completion of core reforms.
Let me say it clearly that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Council to invoke the safeguard measures, including the postponement of accession by a year, if I were convinced that Romania is not ready.
A suspension of the membership would require a unanimous decision in Council, on the basis of a recommendation from the Commission. However, for specific items in the areas of Justice and Home affairs or of Competition, decisions on safeguards can be taken by qualified majority.
Thus, Romania has to prove that it can meet the EU requirements by the time of the Comprehensive Monitoring Report this autumn. This will not be an easy task, especially for the newly appointed government.
The new PM, Mr Tariceanu, has made EU integration its central priority. He has also chosen Brussels for his first official visit abroad. This is an encouraging start. In my view, there is a fair chance that Romania will manage to finalise its preparations for EU membership according to plan.
2. Croatia
The next country in line for negotiations is Croatia. Yesterday, President Barroso and I met with Croatian Prime Minister Sanader, the Foreign Minister and the Minister of European Integration.
The Commission is doing its part in preparing negotiations. We will submit a draft negotiating framework to the Council in early February.
Croatia must also do its part. For smooth progress, it is now of outmost importance that Croatia does everything in its power to ensure full cooperation with the ICTY. The Commission is in regular contact with the Hague Tribunal, meeting last week at service-level with Ms del Ponte, who expressed her persistent concerns as to Croatia's co-operation.
I made it very clear to our Croat counterparts yesterday that Croatia must solve the issue of General Gotovina. Time will soon run out for the 17 March deadline to be kept. Without a positive assessment by ICTY, negotiations will not open on 17 March. It would be a disappointment for everyone - for Croatia and for the EU - if the condition could not be met in time, and the opening of negotiations would be put on hold.
In the best scenario, I am convinced we could make steady and rapid progress with Croatia. It is possible for Croatia to become member in 2009, if every step in the negotiations goes perfectly. Thus Croatia could become a postitive benchmark for the whole Western Balkans. But schedule depends on substance. Progress depends mostly on Croatia.
3. Turkey
As you know, the European Council in December decided to open accession negotiations with Turkey. The European Parliament made an important contribution to this decision by adopting its report on Turkey just a few days before. The Commission has taken due note of the suggestions put forth in the Eurling's report.
In the period prior to the start of negotiations on 3rd October, we will focus our efforts on implementing European Council's conclusions. The Commission has presented the adaptation protocol of the Ankara Agreement to the Turkish Government, and we expect them to sign it as soon as possible. Once this is done, the procedure will follow its course, and the Parliament will be asked to give its assent.
In due course before the 3 October, probably in the summer, we shall present the proposals of our negotiating strategy, based on three pillars.
The first pillar is designed to support the reform process in Turkey. We will continue our regular monitoring and propose a revised Accession Partnership to spell out priorities to guide further reforms in Turkey.
The second pillar sets out the framework for negotiations. And the third pillar concerns the strengthening of political and cultural dialogue through civil society in Turkey and the EU.
We are opening a new chapter with Turkey, a chapter where the process is as important as the outcome. During the process, Turkey will have to change and reinforce the rule of law in all spheres of life. A Turkey where the rule of law is firmly rooted in the society and state would be a most valuable crossroads between civilisations.
4. Cyprus
As you know, the stalemate in the Council concerning financial assistance and direct trade has led to bitter disappointment among the Turkish Cypriots with the EU. Moreover, a proposal to amend the Green Line Regulation is currently blocked in the Council.
After the positive vote of the Turkish Cypriots in the referendum on the Annan Plan and the promises made by the EU thereafter, the adoption of these regulations by the Member States will be crucial to maintain the pro-European momentum in the northern part of the island. Therefore, I sincerely hope that the pending regulations will be adopted quickly.
5. FYROM
In November, I visited the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and met representatives of both the Government and opposition. All stressed their commitment to the EU. I stressed the importance of implementing the decentralisation measures of the Ohrid Framework Agreement and of reforms that will allow the country to meet the EU's accession criteria.
The Macedonians are currently busy finalising replies to the Commission's Questionnaire. We expect to receive the replies in the middle of February. We will then start drafting the Commission's Opinion. How long this will take depends on the quality of the replies. However, our working hypothesis is that the Opinion could be adopted by the Commission before the end of the year. If so, the Opinion might be put on the agenda of the December European Council. Again, if political development in
FYROM continues positively, we may have another candidate country and sound benchmark for the Western Balkans.
6. Other Western Balkans
We have a critical and difficult year ahead for the Western Balkans.
The SAA negotiations with Albania are continuing. Progress will depend on the conduct of the parliamentary elections next summer, and pace of the reforms identified in the European Partnership. I am concerned about the political climate in Albania, which is currently not conducive to reform and could affect preparations for the forthcoming elections.
On 19-20 December 2004 I visited Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). My visit coincided with the decision of the High Representative/ EUSR and the US to impose measures on Republika Srpska because of continuing inadequate compliance with ICTY. The political spill-over to State-level has been limited, however, and government business continues. I hope the BiH government will be able to make solid progress on the 16 reform issues identified in the November 2003 Feasibility Study. The positive news is
that the first major war criminal has been handed to the ICTY by Republika Srpska. If BiH addresses remaining challenges early in 2005, the Commission may be able to recommend to the Council that SAA negotiations be opened with BiH.
As regards Serbia and Montenegro, the Commission is working on the Feasibility Study on the country's preparedness to negotiate an SAA. Meanwhile we are urging the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro to cooperate with ICTY and to take full advantage of the twin-track approach, so that progress can be reflected in our Study. I will discuss these issues during my visit to Belgrade next week.
Kosovo remains one of the most difficult issues we face. In mid-2005, there will be a review of the implementation of the standards which could lead to the opening of discussions on the future status of Kosovo. The coming months are crucial, to test the commitment of the Kosovo authorities to promoting a multi-ethnic society and respect of the rule of law - including full co-operation with ICTY.
The Commission supports the idea of a streamlined UN Mission, handing over as much responsibility as possible to the Provisional Institutions of Self Government (PISG), including on economic areas. We are ready to help build local capacity with our assistance. In the meantime, my services are actively discussing with UNMIK how to improve the work of the EU-funded Pillar IV.
7. IPA
Lastly, the proposal for a unified pre-accession instrument, or IPA, represents a major opportunity to rationalise and simplify EU assistance. A key innovation of the IPA is that it will cover the potential candidate countries of the Western Balkans as well as the candidate countries.
I am happy to discuss IPA, as well as financial management issues, with you today if you so wish, and of course I am also more than willing to come back to this committee in a couple months and for more of an in-depth discussion. I am interested in your views on how we can make best use of the opportunities offered by this new instrument.
Honourable Members,
In a nutshell, my goal is that in 2009 the EU will have at least 27 members, with half a dozen Western Balkans countries well on their way to EU membership, and Turkey on track, through rigorous reforms. If these countries can fully adopt European values, peace and prosperity in Europe will be more secure.
I am convinced that together we can successfully continue to extend the zone of peace and democracy across the European continent.
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