Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-03-Speech-2-113"
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"en.20001003.4.2-113"2
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"Mr President, Minister, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today we are debating Mr Brok’s report on the progress made on the European Union’s enlargement process, an annually recurring theme. Based on sound analyses carried out by the European Commission, we measure the progress the candidate countries have made with regard to the preparations for the accession process. Every year – and this is shortly to happen again, on 8 November – each candidate country awaits with bated breath the judgement of the Commission with regard to the progress made. This process also bears the hallmarks of a technocratic process, where the political aspects can quite easily be overlooked in amongst the abundance of detail and criteria from the European Commission report. But as has been said, the discussion with the Commission today is business as usual.
Today is also a very special day, because we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of Germany’s reunification. It is an important time to look back on a very special era in our history. As a Dutch person, born in a family which suffered badly from the effects of the Second World War, I am genuinely pleased that I can express my delight here today at Germany’s reunification. Helmut Kohl, together with the German parliament and German politicians, have made every effort to anchor Germany in the European Union, so that earlier fears expressed by neighbouring countries with regard to a reunited Germany having too much power, have fortunately proved unfounded.
Let us not forget that it was civil movements in Central and Eastern Europe which brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall – I would particularly like to mention the Polish trade union Solidarnosc. The wish of the people to end the artificial division of Europe should remain a source of inspiration to us all in the enlargement process.
Let us also recognise the huge progress we have made. Imagine how we would struggle to resolve the issue of Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina or our relations with Serbia in a state of cold war. Let us examine the trade flows between the European Union and the Central and Eastern European countries. Approximately 70% of exports from these countries goes to the European Union. The picture was quite different ten years ago!
A large number of Central and Eastern European countries now have much higher economic growth rates than the European Union itself, although these countries have experienced extreme lows and people have also paid the price. The Commission report is right in pointing out that all candidate countries have experienced major reform – and must do so in future.
Let us therefore testify to the enormous efforts that these countries in Central and Eastern Europe have made. Nowhere in the world was there a manual to be found instructing us how such a process of change should come about. We have learnt a great deal from this exercise. Mistakes have been made and reform has not always been as forthcoming. I wonder whether we could have done a better job. I would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to Mr Brok and the rapporteurs who have contributed to this report.
An essential part of the report is Paragraph 25 and the amendment which my group tabled in relation to it. My group has already said this morning that we want to tighten up the wording of Paragraph 25. The reason for this is that we have noticed that Central and Eastern European countries have made enormous efforts. We have also noticed that time and again EU representatives have raised the expectations – even up to parliament level of these candidate countries – as to when they can join the European Union. We were right in opting for the principle of differentiation, whereby each candidate country is assessed on its own merits. But at the same time we have set a process in motion whereby there is no longer any communication about when something will take place and this has removed any commitment to making an effort. This has a demotivating effect on public opinion in those countries. We are constantly saying that a great deal needs to be done at the IGC in Nice, that our own people have certain fears and that lengthy negotiations are still needed.
Mr President, imagine you lived in a country such as this and you heard all of this and you were aware of all the efforts made. Would you feel at home? Would you not then expect us to make an effort so that those countries can join the European Union at the earliest opportunity? This is the message which the PPE-DE Group would like to put across. A commitment which emphatically stipulates that the European Union will be ready by 2003. We expect the first candidate countries to join before 2004 so that they can take part in the 2004 elections and they can participate as fully-fledged members in the new IGC round on the European constitution, for example.
We would like other countries to join in the session after 2004 and negotiations with the candidate states in question to be completed more quickly. I would also like to call on the EU Member States to accelerate the ratification processes so as to shorten the whole procedure. And finally, I would welcome a debate on transitional periods in the European Union. I was pleased that Commissioner Verheugen raised this issue, because it can once again be interpreted as a new obstacle. We should start with a debate involving our own people. I was pleased that the Commissioner at long last started to dispel the aforementioned fears of the people. But this is where we need to make the effort. The hallmark of German reunification was that there were politicians who understood the Zeitgeist, who dared to act. Let this be a guiding example to us during the next two to three years."@en1
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