ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN Danimarka Başbakanı Danish Prime Minister We do Not Have Time For Individual Problems In The Final Phase Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke at the EU Presidency's meeting with the candidate countries on the to reach an agreement among the present Member States. Our meeting marks the beginning of the final round of the enlargement negotiations for the 10 candidates listed in the Laeken Conclusions. It will also be an opportunity to reiterate that the enlargement process continues after the European Council in Copenhagen for those candidate countries that will not be able to be part of the first round of accession. I will give a first-hand report on the result of the European Council in Brussels. According to the timetable of the Presidency, the European Council had to decide on three points: - The countries with which the Union can conclude negotiations at the European Council in Copenhagen - The items still lacking in the financial package - The outstanding institutional issues. I made it clear beforehand that it was of vital importance that the European Council in Brussels reached agreement on all three points in order to be able to conclude negotiations in Copenhagen. I stressed that we needed an offer now so that the candidates, should not be placed in a situation where there was no time to negotiate. I underlined that the discussions on the future development of Union agricultural policies must not stand in the way of the historic decision on enlargement. Therefore, I am happy to be able to confirm that the Union did indeed reach an agreement on all three points. On the first point, the European Council endorsed the recommendations in the progress reports and the strategy paper by the Commission. As for Bulgaria and Romania, the Council expressed its support for their effort to achieve the objective of membership in 2007. As for Turkey, the Union welcomed the important steps taken by Turkey towards meeting the Copenhagen political criteria and alignment with the acquis. This has brought forward the opening of accession negotiations with Turkey. In the context of the discussion on the progress reports, the European Council also decided on monitoring and safeguards. On the table was the proposal by the Commission. The European Council agreed to slightly amend that proposal by extending the duration of such safeguards from two to three years. On the second point, the financial package, the European Council also decided to follow the main elements of the proposal by the Presidency and the Commission. On direct payments, the European Council decided on the offer proposed by the Commission: That is phasing in beginning in 2004 with 25 per cent and ending in 2013. On structural and cohesion funds, the Council agreed on a total sum of 23 billion euros. That is, as you will know, somewhat less than the original Commission proposal for a total sum of 25.5 billion euros. This should, however, also be seen in the light of the fact that the European Council confirmed the principle of budgetary compensation using 2003 as the reference point. This makes it clear that no new Member State will find itself worse off in budgetary terms in the years just after accession than in the year before accession. On the third point, the institutional chapter, the European Council endorsed the agreement reached by Foreign Ministers. The process leading up to the meeting as well as the meeting itself tell us two things, I believe: First of all, that the Heads of State and Government of the present EU Member States are indeed responsible leaders and that they do stand by their commitment to finalise negotiations by the end of this year. The press has been full of rumours that this or the other EU Member State was secretly working towards delaying the process. The impression I get from my round-trip to Member States as well as the meeting in Brussels is completely different. I have experienced a sincere wish by all delegations to stick to the timetable and to make the compromises that are necessary. That is a very encouraging signal.Secondly, that the room of manoeuvre in the final phase of the negotiations is very limited when it comes to the overall financial package. The European Council confirmed that the ceiling for enlargement set out in Berlin must be respected. And the difficult negotiations leading to the offer on direct payments make it very unlikely that the European Council in Copenhagen should be able to arrive at another result than the offer on direct payments agreed in Brussels. We do not have time for individual problems in other areas in the final phase. We would also run into grave difficulties if there was an important move towards reopening chapters that have already been agreed. In parallel with this political track, let me add that at the technical level the drafting of the Treaty is advancing well. The Treaty should be ready by early 2003. The Presidency and the Commission are also in close contact with the European Parliament to ensure a smooth passage of the Treaty there. The Enlargement Marks The Beginning Of A New Era In The History Of Europe The enlargement can give Europe the dynamics and the drive that can create the basis for a new European consciousness. The enlargement is the greatest political task of our generation. It is a challenge and an opportunity reaching beyond our own day. The enlargement is, for better or worse, rooted in our common history, and it will have a decisive impact on the lives and opportunities of our descendants. The enlargement marks the end of the tragedy of Europe that so marred the 20th century, and it is the gate to a common future for our peoples, in freedom, peace and prosperity. The history of Europe has been haunted by wars, crises and human suffering. However, Europe and our European culture are also characterised by a unique ability to rise again, to rediscover itself; both to rediscover and redefine its values and aspirations. The 20th century was a tragedy for Europe. Two horrible world wars tore our Continent asunder. The mayhem of the Second World War was followed by more than 40 years of communist dictatorship in Central and Eastern Europe. For nearly half a century, we lived with an unnatural division of Europe. Before the First World War, our Continent was characterised by optimism, self-confidence and faith in the future. These values were silenced by the thundering canons in August 1914, and they were trampled to death in the trenches of the Great War. We have never really recovered the optimism and faith in the future that characterised the first years of the 20th century. The enlargement marks the beginning of a new era in the history of Europe. The enlargement can give Europe the dynamics and the drive that can create the basis for a new European consciousness. It is the key to the future of Europe. After 90 years, 1914 to 2004, we can, at long last, close one of the darkest and most blood-stained chapters of European history. It is a task that inspires, and a responsibility that demands our commitment. Against this background, I would like to thank the Assembly for its persistent and unconditional support for the enlargement project. This was expressed most recently at the plenary debate on 23 October, and demonstrated by the President of this Parliament to the European Council at the Summit in Brussels. On behalf of the EU Presidency, I would like to thank for the clear and strong voice of support from the Parliament. We made a number of crucial decisions. They mean that the first round of the enlargement negotiations can be completed in Copenhagen in December. The enlargement has by no means been secured. We still face a formidable task, and have only limited time at our disposal. We are negotiating with 27 countries. However, the tracks have been laid down for the continued negotiations. The EU Presidency and the EU Commission have a firm mandate for negotiation up to the Copenhagen Summit. This gives clarity. For us in the present Member States, and for the candidate countries. They will not have to face a "fait accompli". We meet them with an offer of concrete negotiations. We meet them with a call to make the final, decisive effort. There must be no doubt that the Danish EU Presidency is approaching the task with all our energy, and with an indefatigable determination to achieve results. The EU Presidency had three aims for the Summit in Brussels. First, we wanted to reach agreement on the mandate for the closing enlargement negotiations with the candidate countries. That is, decisions on choice of countries, on the outstanding financial questions and on the last open institutional issues. Second, we wanted to secure agreement on an EU Common Position on the question of transit between Kaliningrad and Russia, so that there is a clear mandate for the negotiations up to the EU-Russia Summit on 11 November. Third and last, the EU Presidency emphasised conducting the Brussels Summit in accordance with the conclusions from Seville. These conclusions mean shorter and more focused meetings of the European Council. It is with satisfaction that I note that, in all three areas, we achieved what we wanted. We succeeded in giving the Summit a form that reflected the spirit and conclusions of the Seville European Council. A brief meeting lasting approximately one day, with a concentrated agenda that had been carefully prepared, and which was drafted with the greatest possible transparency. The agenda for the Summit, with commentary, had been made available on the website of the EU Presidency in the weeks before the Brussels Summit. Personally, I have placed great emphasis on ensuring that the Brussels Summit should become as focused and result-orientated as possible, and I am very pleased with the outcome. I find that we succeeded in establishing some procedures that will hopefully serve as inspiration for future EU Presidencies. Also as concerns Kaliningrad, the EU Presidency achieved its goals in Brussels. The European Council endorsed the detailed conclusions on which the Foreign Ministers had reached agreement on 22 October. This secures a mandate for the further negotiations with Russia. The EU line is clear. We wish to find a solution that takes Russia's problems into account, and which, at the same time, respects Lithuania's sovereignty and the rules of the Schengen co-operation. The enlargement was the main topic in Brussels. For the EU Presidency, it was of paramount importance to establish the framework for the further negotiations with the candidate countries. We made it very clear to all that now, and not December, was the time for the decisions to be made, and we had focused the agenda on exactly the key questions. For these reasons, among other things, we made the necessary decisions. I am not here going to review the details of the conclusions from the Summit. The conclusions are brief, clear and speak for themselves. However, I do wish to highlight the most significant decisions. The European Council approved the Commission's recommendation on choice of countries. That is to say, ten countries: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, will be able to complete the negotiations by the end of this year. As concerns Bulgaria and Romania, we decided to support these two countries in their endeavours to reach the goal of accession in 2007. The Copenhagen Summit will make concrete decisions on how we may strengthen their preparations for membership. The message to Bulgaria and Romania is clear. The enlargement will continue. The EU is open to European countries that wish to become members, and which fulfil the requirements of membership. We also sent a clear message to Turkey. The European Council is pleased with the progress Turkey has made in the direction of fulfilling the Copenhagen political criterion, and we call on Turkey to continue the reform process, not least in the form of actual implementation of the adopted reforms. We shall make new decisions concerning Turkey in Copenhagen. In conjunction with the choice of countries, we discussed the question of monitoring and safeguard clauses. The European Council, also in this area, endorsed the Commission proposal with one adjustment: we extended the period during which the special measures are to apply from two to three years. The European Council also reached a decision on the last outstanding institutional questions. These included the necessary adjustments in the light of the transition from 15 to hopefully 25 Member States. The Heads of State or Government adopted the compromise that the EU Presidency had already reached at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers on 22 October. This means that also in this area, a clear negotiation mandate for the EU Presidency in relation to the candidate countries has been established. The most difficult item on the agenda for the Summit in Brussels was the outstanding financial issues. However, we succeeded in reaching a result. We made three key decisions. As concerns the direct payments, the European Council endorsed the Commission proposal: the phasing in will begin in 2004 with 25 per cent, and will be completed in 2013 at 100 per cent. The phasing in will take place within a framework of financial stability. There will be a ceiling on the total annual market-related expenditure and direct payments in an EU with 25 Member States. These expenditures shall be kept below the 2006 figure, raised by 1 per cent per year. If inflation exceeds 1 per cent, there will thus be a real decrease in these expenditures. Similarly, we reached agreement on the level for a total amount for the structural fund efforts in the new Member States. EUR 23 billion over the period 2004 to 2006. This is a minor reduction compared to the Commission proposal, which was EUR 25 billion. Third, we solved the question of budgetary compensation. I find it very important that we established that no new Member State might have the experience of being in a poorer position during the period from 2004 to 2006 than it was in 2003. This is important, and a right message to send to the candidate countries. In conclusion, allow me to mention that the European Council also had a meeting with the Chairman of the Convention on the future of the EU, former French President Valéry Giscard D'ESTAING. He reported on the work in the Convention. We shall meet the Chairman of the Convention again at the Summit in Copenhagen. "From Copenhagen to Copenhagen" stands as the motto of the Danish EU Presidency. It is the expression of a vision of contributing to a project and a process of a unique character, and the expression of a very concrete ambition to complete a task that has been placed in our hands. The Summit in Brussels brought us one decisive step closer to Copenhagen, and at the same time it marked the final stop before the Copenhagen Summit. What lies, then, on the way from Brussels to Copenhagen? What lies ahead of us during the next weeks? The answer is: hard work, persevering and intense negotiations. We are already well under way. On 28 October, I met the Heads of State and Government from the candidate countries in order to give them a personal and direct account of the Summit in Brussels. The European Council's decisions in Brussels have created a basis for the further negotiations. However, it is clear that if we are to reach a result in time, it will require a great effort and will to compromise from all parties involved, Member States as well as candidate countries. The European Parliament and the EU Commission have persistently been strong driving forces in the enlargement process. I hope that we shall here be able to send a strong, joint message to the peoples and Governments of Europe that now is the time to complete ten years' work; that now is the time to open the gate to our common future; that now is the time to make the crucial decision on the enlargement. S0N AŞAMADA TEK TEK SORUNLARLA UĞRAŞACAK ZAMANIMIZ YOK Başbakan Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN, AB Başkanlığı'nın aday ülkelerle yaptığı toplantıda konuştu: Avrupa Birliği Konseyi'nin öncelikle belirli konuları karara bağlaması gerekiyordu. Konsey öncelikle, ilerleme raporlarında yer alan tavsiyeleri ve Komisyon'un strateji belgesini onayladı. Ayrıca, Türkiye'nin Kopenhag siyasi kriterlerine ve AB müktesebatına uyum yolunda attığı adımların memnuniyetle karşılandığı da ifade edildi. Böylece Türkiye'yle müzakere sürecinin başlamasına giden yolda bir adım daha atılmış oldu. Konsey mali paketle ilgili olarak ise, Başkanlık'ın ve Komisyon'un önerisinde yer alan ana unsurlara uyulmasını kararlaştırdı. Üçüncü bir ana konu başlığı olan kurumsal meselelerle ilgili olarak da Dışişleri Bakanları tarafından üzerinde anlaşılan noktalar teyid edilmiş oldu. Toplantı sonrası geldiğimiz nokta, üye ülke devlet ve hükümet başkanlarının önceki sözlerinin arkasında durduklarını ve müzakereleri bu yıl sonu itibariyle tamamlamak konusundaki kararlılıklarını bize gösteriyor. Ne var ki, son aşamada tek tek sorunlarla uğraşacak zamanımız yok zira üzerinde mutabakata varılarak tamamlanmış müzakere bölümlerinin tekrar gündeme getirilmesi bizler için çok ciddi sorunlar yaratır. GENİŞLEME, AVRUPA TARİHİNDE YENİ BİR SAYFANIN AÇILMASI ANLAMINA GELİYOR Başbakan Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN, Avrupa Parlamentosu'nda yaptığı konuşmasında; "Avrupa'nın genişlemesi, bu kıtanın tarihinde yepyeni bir sayfanın açılması anlamına geliyor. Dolayısıyla, bugün görevde olan bizler tarihi anlamda büyük bir sorumluluk taşıyoruz. Toplam 27 ülkeyle müzakerelerimiz devam ediyor ve son derece dikkatli olmalıyız." diyerek başladı ve sözlerine şöyle devam etti: "Şu ana kadar alınan önemli kararlardan bir tanesi, genişlemenin ilk dalgasının Aralık ayında Kopenhag'da tamamlanmasına ilişkin. AB Konseyi, Komisyon'un ilk aşamaya dahil edilecek ülkelerle ilgili tavsiyesini onayladı: Kıbrıs, Çek Cumhuriyeti, Estonya, Macaristan, Letonya, Litvanya, Malta, Polonya, Slovak Cumhuriyeti ve Slovenya bu yıl sonu itibariyle müzekereleri tamamlayabilecekler. Bulgaristan ve Romanya'nın ise 2007 yılında üyeliklerini gerçekleştirebilmeleri için desteklenmeleri kararı alındı. Bu arada Türkiye'ye de net bir mesaj verdik: AB Konseyi Türkiye'nin Kopenhag siyasi kriterlerine uyum çabalarından ve reform sürecinden hoşnut. Ancak, reformların uygulamaya konması gerekiyor. Türkiye'yle ilgili olarak Kopenhag'da yeni kararlar alacağız.