Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-18-Speech-3-061"
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"en.20021218.3.3-061"2
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"Several speakers, including Mr Poettering, Mr Cohn-Bendit and Mr Dupuis, raised the matter of Chechnya. Before I return to the subject of enlargement, therefore, I should just like to make one comment about Chechnya. The Danish Presidency has addressed the matter of Chechnya with great vigour. I think I can say that we have addressed it with greater vigour than has been seen in a long time. At the EU-Russia Summit, I had a very direct, very frank exchange of views with President Putin on this subject, and this exchange of views was so strong that it was not possible to reach subsequent agreement on a joint text. I believe that this serves to emphasise the considerable energy with which the Presidency has taken this matter forward. The EU supports a political solution to the conflict in Chechnya, whilst at the same time, of course, offering Russia our full support in the fight against terrorism. The humanitarian situation in the region is also a central concern for the EU.
Dear friends, 2002 has indeed been a good and historic year. We have closed a dark, bloody chapter in the history of Europe and opened a new, optimistic one, as well as creating the basis for future generations of Europeans to live a life of freedom and peace, growth and prosperity.
Thank you, Mr President.
Furthermore, there have been questions on institutional aspects. Mr Barón Crespo and Mr Corbett raised the matter of the institutional situation in connection with enlargement. The European Council intends that a new Commission take office on 1 November 2004, and, from the same date, the new provisions of the Treaty of Nice, regarding the Commission and the rules for voting in the Council, should enter into force. This will mean that there is just one Commissioner per Member State, that is, 25 Commissioners in all. If this timetable is to be adhered to, there must of course be close cooperation between the institutions. I should like to emphasise that the prerogatives of Parliament will of course be respected, and it is with a view to achieving this result that the Council is planning to hold consultations with the European Parliament as early as January 2003. I should also like to say to Mr Corbett, therefore, that it will be the new European Parliament that approves the new Commission and its President. Mr Corbett also raised the matter of the additional MEPs for Hungary and the Czech Republic; this issue has already been resolved: it formed part of the packages the Presidency presented ahead of the European Council meeting in Copenhagen. These packages have now been accepted by all and will form part of the accession treaty; the issue of Hungary and the Czech Republic has therefore been resolved to the satisfaction of both countries.
Moreover, a number of speakers raised the issue of the prospects for reform of the common agriculture policy following the Brussels and Copenhagen Summits. I should like to highlight three things in this connection. Firstly, the ceiling laid down for agricultural expenditure does not prejudice any future decisions on the common agriculture policy. The same goes for the temporary right to top-up payments that is given to the new Member States. This is an extraordinary scheme of limited duration, which has been applied in a very specific situation.
Secondly, I should like to emphasise that the work on the mid-term review of the common agriculture policy which is under way in the Council can continue without restriction; the mid-term review of the common agriculture policy remains on the table, therefore.
Thirdly, I should like to stress that the decisions from the Brussels Summit do not affect the international obligations that the European Union has undertaken, including in connection with the launch of the Doha Development Round. No obstacles have been placed in the way of future reforms of the common agriculture policy over the last six months, therefore. Furthermore, I should like to add – and here I am speaking just as much in my role as Danish Prime Minister – that I am a very strong supporter of fundamental reforms of the EU common agriculture policy.
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Furthermore, I should finally like to say a few words about Turkey, which many speakers have mentioned. I fully understand the interest in this issue – it is a key subject and an issue that preoccupies our populations. A couple of speakers said that the decisions taken in Copenhagen promised Turkey membership of the EU. I deny this categorically – no promises of membership have been given. The decision taken in Copenhagen was that, in December 2004, the European Council will come to a decision on whether Turkey meets the criteria for the commencement of accession negotiations. It is important to stress that Turkey, like all the other candidate countries, must of course meet the Copenhagen political criteria before accession negotiations can be initiated. There is no question of giving Turkey special treatment, either one way or the other.
Finally, the main topic: enlargement. I should like to attempt to summarise the debate we have had on this, which, in my opinion, has been very good, and, as everyone has pointed out, despite the technical minutiae which crop up here and there, it is the historical perspective that we must keep in mind. It is true that the final negotiations in Copenhagen ended up concerning themselves to a great extent with milk quotas and VAT on buildings, indeed even with freedom of movement for nurses, with top-up payments and a number of other technical matters. We must never forget, however, what this is really all about; we must never forget the big picture. The big picture is that the decision we have now taken gives the new Member States a comprehensive package amounting to more than EUR 40 000 million. Although this may be seen as a very small sum by the rich existing Member States – and in reality it is – it is at the same time a very considerable sum to the new Member States: it actually corresponds to 2–3% of their GDP. It is a large sum to the new Member States, a sum that will be able to set in motion self-increasing, positive economic and social development in the new countries.
One thing we must never forget is that these transfers from the EU's coffers into the coffers of the applicant countries are not the most important thing to be gained from being part of the European Union. The most important gains are being part of a great community; having access to a large internal market; and being able to engage – to mutual benefit – in more trade with each other, make investments in each other’s countries, and create economic development. The most important gain is being part of strong political cooperation in which large countries show consideration for small ones, and where everyone is bound by codecision rules; it is being part of political cooperation that ensures that Europe is a continent where the large countries do not have rights at the expense of the small ones; instead, we all treat each other equally, whether big or small. The most important gain, the big, powerful picture, is that we are now, finally, reunifying Europe. Try to think about the fantastic prospect which is that we are now finally reunifying something that has been divided for so many years. Try to think about how the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have, in reality, been the unfortunate victims of centuries of wars and conflicts between East and West. We are now putting this right: we are reunifying Europe, we are creating a strategic partnership between the EU and Russia and thus an opportunity for the countries of Eastern and Central Europe to live in peace and security. Try to think about the prospect which is that there are, among the new Member States, three Baltic States, who have been oppressed by the Soviet empire for generations. They are now part of our community. Try to think about the fantastic prospect which is that NATO, too, is being enlarged this autumn by seven new countries, also including the three Baltic States, who were oppressed by the Soviet empire."@en1
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