Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-065"
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"en.20041215.2.3-065"2
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"As a representative of Estonia, herself the product of the recent enlargement, I welcome the conclusion of the accession negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania yesterday, and the readiness to open negotiations with Croatia. All the same, it is important to treat each candidate country separately according to progress made, not as a package.
Second, the principle that every EU enlargement must be balanced by a strengthening of our internal dynamics and unity is important. As my colleague Mr Pinheiro said, ‘Turkey is a special case in the enlargement’. The opening of negotiations may be sanctioned provided all the Copenhagen criteria are clearly met, just as in the case of accession countries in the final round of negotiations. This is not yet the case. A fundamental question for governments, however, is the inconceivability of opening negotiations with a candidate whose military forces occupy the territory of an EU Member State, and which does not even recognise the existence of that state. This position must be made unequivocally clear before the negotiations start. This is fundamental and cannot just be recommendatory; otherwise, the present ambiguity regarding the criteria will create a precedent whereby such accommodations in regard to large candidate countries may begin to repeat themselves. This, however, will undermine the sense of security of other, smaller countries in the future.
I also call on the Commission to consider Ukraine’s prospects for the future, because it is in Ukraine that the question of the EU’s eastern border is being decided today. Yesterday a representative of the Ukrainian people was here – the Ukrainian Eurovision Song Contest winner Ruslana, who probably has a greater number of supporters than any Ukrainian politician. Her message was this: ‘Show me the room in this building where we could hand in Ukraine’s accession application’. Today there is no such room, but for those of us who support the democratic rebirth of Ukraine, it is our business to heed this message and to make sure that this room is found and made ready for use in the near future."@en1
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