Summary: Speech by European Commissioner Rehn: Report on the Salzburg meeting (Strasbourg, 15 March 2006)
Speech by Mr Olli Rehn, Member of the European Commission responsible for Enlargement. Report on the Salzburg meeting, Plenary Session at the European Parliament
Mr President,
Honourable Members,
Mme Presidency (Plassnik)
My colleague Benita Ferrero-Waldner has kindly agreed to deal with Iran and Palestine, when speaking later this evening, which gives me the chance to concentrate on the Western Balkans now.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the Western Balkans, the EU can really make a difference. The region is at a crossroads, and the EU will guide it to go down the peaceful and reformist path. We have seen many positive developments in recent years. But we should not be lulled into a false sense of security.
This year the remaining status questions (Kosovo, Montenegro) must be solved with patience and determination. We must also finally move the region beyond the era of war. We must thus clear the way for progress on issues that really matter to the citizens of the region - economic development and bringing the countries into the European mainstream.
Now, how can we best encourage the countries to stick to an ambitious reform agenda? Most importantly, we must stick to our commitment that the countries can make towards the EU, with membership as the ultimate goal, once they have managed to meet the rigorous accession criteria. Moreover, we must strive to make this perspective more concrete and tangible, as the Commission does in its recent communication. Let me mention a few proposals.
Firstly, we should remove obstacles to trade, production and investment. The Commission pursues the creation of a regional free trade agreement, that would replace the existing patchwork of 31 bilateral free trade agreements. This may be attained through a simultaneous enlargement and modernisation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).
Secondly, we should Europeanise the next generation. The Commission proposes to increase the mobility of researchers and students by increasing the number of scholarships provided to them.
Thirdly, we should facilitate people-to-people contacts. The Commission will put forward measures on visa-facilitation, and I hope the Member States will move them forward quickly through the Council, so that we can start negotiations on visa facilitation and re-admission agreements. The more the countries in the region do to ensure border controls and documents security, the easier it will be to convince the EU Member States to make progress on visa facilitation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am glad that the EU's foreign ministers in Salzburg endorsed these practical measures. I want to pay a special tribute to Mrs Ursula Plassnik and her personal commitment to ensure progress in the Western Balkans.
Finally, I must say a few words about the death of Slobodan Milošević.
When we received the news at the end of the Gymnich meeting, my immediate reaction was to remember visiting Srebrenica last July, at the tenth memorial of the most appalling massacre in post-war Europe. I regret that Milošević died before justice could be served for the hundreds of thousands of victims of the crimes for which he was indicted.
Helmut Kohl, in his memoirs, writes that each generation must work for a necessary consciousness of history, to avoid repeating our mistakes, and to ensure that "the voices of victims are heard". Very wise words.
The International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague is putting on record evidence that will help the Serbs of current and future generations to understand that many crimes were committed in the name of Serbia, while certain individuals were responsible for them.
The death of Milošević makes it even more important for The Hague Tribunal to complete its work, and for the final remaining indictees to be transferred there. This will help Serbia to close the tragic chapter of history over which Milošević presided, and to come to terms with the legacy of its past.
Today, Serbia is truly at a crossroads; I sincerely hope that the leaders and people of Serbia have the will and wisdom to choose the European future instead of the nationalist past. The country now truly holds its future in its own hands. We can help the Serbs to make the right choice by holding the European perspective open for them.
Thank you.
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