Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-228"
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"en.20041215.7.3-228"2
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".
Mr President, I wish to join the President-in-office of the Council in thanking Mr Moscovici, and I would like to make one or two comments and reply to those questions that have been raised in this debate.
Firstly, Mr Tabajdi said he appreciated the Commission’s objectivity and impartiality. I thank him for this and I wish to stress that in future this should be a guiding principle in all enlargement policy. My view is that after last year’s major setback we shall now be proceeding gradually and steadily in terms of the enlargement of the European area of peace and democracy. Our negotiations with the candidate countries will be gradual, steady, careful and thorough.
In this regard, I understand in general the views expressed by Mr Ferber. It is a pity he did not have time to hear my reply. As Mr Ferber demanded honesty of the EU, that is to say ourselves, I agree that we should assess the effects of all decisions taken on enlargement and that we need to adhere to the criteria. It is for that very reason that we have proposed a safeguard clause in the chapters relating to justice and home affairs and competition. This safeguard clause may be adopted by qualified majority, which makes it credible, and it will encourage Romania to work and strive to achieve results.
Several speakers have also quite rightly given attention to the challenges that lie ahead for Romania, including improving the environment and the status of minorities as well as promoting the fight against corruption and crime. These are areas we continually monitor and will return to in detail when the Monitoring Report comes out next autumn. It is then that we shall evaluate the progress that has been made over the months to come. Romania’s new government will have a golden opportunity to demonstrate that it can genuinely fulfil its commitments and reform the country’s society and institutions.
Mr Davies and Mrs Jäätteenmäki pointed out that the current Member States also have much to do to develop the rule of law. One can only agree with this. These issues, however, do not fall within the competence of the Commissioner for Enlargement. Rather, it would be better to address these problems via the infringement procedure or present a case using the machinery of the European Court of Human Rights.
In conclusion, I wish to thank the rapporteur, Mr Moscovici. I agree with the view expressed by both him and Mr Szent-Ivány that it is in the interests of both the European Union and Romania that Romania is ready by 2007. This in the first instance depends on Romania’s willingness and ability to reform the country and its society. The Commission, for its part, will give all the support it can to ensure that Romania strengthens its efforts so as to pre-empt the use of the safeguard clauses referred to just now."@en1
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