Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-03-14-Speech-3-013-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20120314.5.3-013-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, before starting my speech here, I would also like to pay tribute and to extend condolences and grief from the Presidency to the victims and the families involved in that terrible accident. I believe that everyone in this Chamber feels for the victims and the families today and we will, of course, honour them later on, as has been stated. I believe that is very appropriate.
Integration of the Roma in the education system has improved, but further measures need to be taken, as the Roma continue to face very difficult living conditions and discrimination, in particular, regarding civil registration. In the area of human rights, we are concerned about cases of ill treatment by special police forces as well as discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community. This needs to be addressed.
Overall, the developments in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are encouraging. The Council has noted that the Commission has reiterated its recommendation that accession negotiations should be opened. We stand ready to return to this during our Presidency.
Let me end by recalling that maintaining good neighbourly relations – which has to include a negotiated and mutually-accepted solution with the UN to the main issue – is essential. We very much hope that the ongoing high-level dialogue will yield a positive outcome as soon as possible.
On behalf of the Danish Presidency of the Council, it is a great pleasure for me to participate in this debate and to review progress on enlargement and the accession negotiations. First of all, let me underline how much we appreciate Parliament’s interest in and support for the enlargement process. Your active and constructive contribution to the wider debate on enlargement is highly valued and appreciated.
I would also like to begin these three debates today by highlighting the resilience of the EU enlargement policy. This is sometimes overlooked, not least in times of great economic hardship and uncertainty. Last December, we were able to sign the accession treaty with Croatia, which is now in the process of being ratified by national parliaments. This should allow Croatia to join the Union in July 2013. Only two weeks ago, on 1 March, the European Council granted candidate status to Serbia. Both achievements show that the political momentum behind the EU’s enlargement policy is driven by the power to transform and bring about positive change. The process has brought prosperity and, even more importantly, it has proved to be a positive factor for peace and security.
I would like to turn now to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Since December 2005, the country has been a candidate for membership of the EU. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is important in the region, being fully engaged in regional initiatives such as the Regional Cooperation Council and the South-East European Cooperation Process. It also contributes to the EU Althea mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At its meeting on 5 December 2010, the Council welcomed the further progress made by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the area of reform, as well as the fact that it is fulfilling its commitment under the stabilisation and association agreement.
The Council broadly shares the Commission’s assessment of the country's sufficient fulfilment of the political criteria. Since the early elections of June last year, which followed a boycott of the parliament, the governing coalition has been stable. Let me briefly mention the progress which has been made on issues such as the reform of the parliament, the judiciary, public administration and respect for – and protection of – minorities, before I address the key challenges that remain.
We welcome the improvement, compared to 2008, of the handling of the parliamentary elections on 5 June 2011, which were competitive, transparent and well administrated throughout the country. Naturally, the government needs to implement fully the conclusions and recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, particularly regarding the separation between state and party activities during the campaign period. We expect the 2013 local elections to be handled equally well as – if not better than – the 2011 elections.
We also welcome the fact that the government coalition has resolved earlier difficulties and has strengthened internal cooperation. It is important that the momentum of the reform process be maintained. Freedom of expression in the media remains a matter of concern. We welcome the opening of a dialogue on this issue. The closure, on grounds of tax evasion, of a major television channel and three newspapers which were critical of the government has raised concerns about the proportionality and selectivity of the procedure and has reduced the diversity of the media landscape. As for judicial reform, some positive progress has been achieved.
This is also the case for the amendments to the legal framework in relation to the fight against corruption. The adoption of a new criminal procedure code is a significant step forward in the fight against crime and corruption but requires further institutional work in order to be fully implemented. Corruption remains a serious problem which needs to be addressed.
Further progress has also been made in the area of cultural rights and minorities. The tenth anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement provided a good opportunity for enhanced dialogue between the communities in the country. Both the letter and the spirit of the Ohrid Framework Agreement must be respected by all."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples