GUNTER VERHEUGEN AB'nin Genişlemeden Sorumlu Komiseri European Commissioner Responsible for Enlargement From Copenhagen 1993 To Copenhagen 2002 It was the Copenhagen European Council in June 1993 that set out the frame for the enlargement process. The Copenhagen Criteria express in concrete terms the common values that a candidate country must meet in order to become a member of the EU. It concerns democracy, rule of law, economic stability and the ability to take on the EU legislation. And it is Copenhagen that by the end of this year will mark the achievements of this process after more than nine years. It is a remarkable process. An enlargement like no other in the history of the EU. It is about bringing Europe together. We are moving from division to unity. From risks of conflicts to stability. From economic inequality to prospects of prosperity throughout the whole continent. This is why our commitment towards the enlargement has been and is so strong. This is why the Commission is determined to do its utmost in order to make the sequence from Copenhagen to Copenhagen a reality. If you ask me to present - in a nutshell - my views on the enlargement process, I would summarise it as follows: The enlargement negotiations proceed on schedule. We have made further substantial progress under the Spanish Presidency. The objectives of the roadmap have been met. The intention to conclude negotiations with most countries by the end of this year are ambitious but realistic. Candidate countries will be well prepared for membership. This enlargement round is better prepared than any previous enlargements. We have put in place a sophisticated system of monitoring and instruments to support candidate countries to build up their institutions and to enable them to meet the obligations of membership. Substantial progress has been made by the candidates in meeting their commitments. We all know the benefits of enlargement: stability in Europe and extension of our markets. We also know the concerns of our citizens. But we have answers to these concerns. Enlargement is not a problem, it is part of the solution, because it gives further stability to our neighbours. It allows them to participate in our community policies, which provide the basis for security and welfare of our citizens. Enlargement is above all a concept of conflict prevention. We are about to complete this process. It is an enormous challenge, but we will be successful. Candidate countries have deployed enormous efforts to join the European family of values. They are entitled to enjoy our solidarity and continued support. Now let me elaborate in some more details on the three topics, which I have raised. I. Enlargement negotiations are well on track We have been negotiating since 1998. In 2001 the negotiations entered a new and more intensive phase. The road map presented by the Commission and endorsed by the Nice European Council has turned out to work extremely well. The difficult issues have in most cases been possible to solve in accordance with the timetable. The latest example is the Spanish Presidency where substantial progress has been made on all outstanding issues. More than 80% of the negotiating chapters will be provisionally closed by end June. Through the political breakthrough at the summit in Göteborg in June 2001, a clear timetable was agreed. End of 2002 is the target date for concluding the negotiations with those candidate countries that are ready. They should then be able to participate in the European Parliament elections in 2004 as members. The Laeken European Council in December last year confirmed this timetable and indicated the 10 candidate countries that should be ready if the reform process is maintained. In the coming months the negotiations will to a large extent focus on the financial package relating to the enlargement. It concerns issues such as how the new Member Sates shall be integrated into the common agricultural policy, the extent of the regional aid and how to safeguard that the candidate countries will not be worse off in budgetary terms by joining the EU. These are issues sensitive to present Member states and to the candidate countries. The Commission has presented proposals for EU positions on all these aspects and they are presently being negotiated among the Member Sates. In our proposal we have kept to three principles: First that the global budgetary ceilings agreed among member states at the European Council in Berlin in 1999 must be respected. Second, that the new member states shall take part in all common policies, even though in some areas there will be a need for a phasing in period. Third, that negotiations shall be without prejudice to future reforms of agriculture and regional policies. The enlargement negotiations and the reform debate are two separate issues. The European Council in Copenhagen in December would then be the occasion to conclude the negotiations. It would also be the occasion to set out a road map for the further negotiations with those among the twelve that will not form part of the first accession. II. Candidate countries are well prepared for membership New members join a community of law. They need to meet their obligations for membership in full. That is why the adoption of legislation for aligning with the acquis is so important. But as important is the progress in setting up and strengthening the institutions required for implementing and enforcing the legislation. A modern well-functioning public administration and the necessary institutions are indispensable for any member of the European Union. Just as important is a well-trained judiciary versed in Community law and able to apply and interpret it effectively. One should not underestimate what has already been achieved. But it is clear that much still needs to be done. I took the initiative to support the candidate countries in their efforts. We have agreed on specific action plans with all of them. The Commission adopted a report on these measures to the European Council in Seville. We have developed a detailed and sophisticated system of instruments to help candidate countries in their preparations for membership. At the same time these instruments serve as a safeguard for the Union that new members can meet their obligations as members. In particular: Monitoring: Commission keeps track of the implementation of commitments made by candidates in the negotiations. For that purpose we provide Member states with monitoring reports for each country. These monitorings set out both commitments, which have been fulfilled, as well as those issues, which require close attention in terms of implementation of the acquis. It attracts attention of candidates on all issues where they need to take corrective measures. Action Plans for Administrative Capacity: These Action Plans are agreed with each of the countries. They identify with each country the next steps that are required to achieve an adequate level of administrative and judicial capacity by the time of accession. They also identify in which areas candidate countries need target assistance to complete their preparations. Peer Reviews: Peer Reviews are evaluation exercises in which experts from Member states and the Commission in charge of implementing and in forcing the acquis in a certain domain, evaluate the level of preparation of, and formulate advise for, their counterparts in the negotiating countries. Ongoing Peer Reviews cover areas such as food-safety, justice and home affairs, financial services and nuclear safety. Tens of Peer Reviews missions have already been organised and many more will take place in the coming months. It is an impressive amount of political capital that has been invested in the reform process under way in the candidate countries. It must be recognised that this reformation has exposed the societies of the candidate countries to enormous pressure. They have had to make the transition from communist rule and centrally planned economies to democracy and market economy. At the same time they have had to adapt to the highly developed system of European Integration. It is therefore understandable that the people now want to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The appetite for further reform might well diminish if the perception starts to gain ground that the goal of EU membership will never be in reach. III. The concerns of our citizens can be met We all know the benefits of enlargement. But there are also a number of other concerns that have been raised on the consequences of enlargement, both in the member states and in the candidate countries. Cheap labour influxes will "destroy" the employment in the EU, according to some. Real estate prices will soar in the candidate countries, according to others. Yet others fear that the enlargement may lead to opportunities for international crime and increases in corruption and fraud. We should take these concerns seriously. In fact many of them are equal to the issues that are among the most difficult in the negotiations. Without going into the details on each and every concern raised, let me only make three remarks. First, experience from previous accession negotiations shows that most of the fears are exaggerated. For instance, in Sweden there was a widespread fear of the consequences on enlargement on the market of secondary residence. In retrospective it is clear that the fears were exaggerated. Similarly there were widespread fears over the consequences on the labour market of the Spanish and Portuguese accession. But there was no invasion of cheap labour and the transitional arrangement agreed was therefore also shortened. Second, the negotiations have shown that when concerns are well founded reasonable solutions can be found. We have for instance found a compromise concerning the free movement of labour and we have found compromises on the acquisition of land in the candidate countries. Third, many of the underlying threats fuelling the fears and concerns are here irrespectively of enlargement. We have for instance to face the threat of a sophisticated and ruthless international criminality already today, be it in trafficking of human beings or in drugs. The enlargement process can and should contribute in making us better equipped to meet such threats. The enhanced co-operation will strengthen the necessary law-enforcement institutions in the candidate countries. The accession negotiations will accelerate the ongoing reform process of the judiciary. And with the prospect of membership the candidate countries will be part of the future common measures in this field. Fourth, public opinion faced with the challenges of enlargement is of course subject to a feeling of uncertainty. Surveys in the member States and the candidate countries give a varying picture. Undoubtedly there is a need for information and discussion on the consequences of enlargement both in the candidate countries and in the Member Sates. It is clear to me that it is a challenge, which must be met on local and national level. It is a responsibility not only for politicians but also for decision-makers in industry and in other sectors of society. Enlargement is a vast, complex and difficult task. It must not be underestimated. Although we have come a long way there are major challenges in front of us. We will always be able to find excuses for delay. One could have concerns over the consequences for the future development of the Union. Farmers can find reasons to be worried over the effects for the CAP and their living conditions. Others can perceive fear over huge migratory flows. The challenge is to resist the temptation of delaying the process. The window of opportunity for enlarging the Union is now open. Our objective should be to make the saying "from Copenhagen to Copenhagen" a reality. We Want To Encourage Turkey To Push -Ahead With Its Bold Reform The publication of this year's progress reports and the Enlargement Strategy Paper is a milestone on the road towards achieving one of the most difficult projects that the EU has ever undertaken. After a thorough and comprehensive analysis, the Commission is now proposing that the accession negotiations with ten candidate countries be concluded by the end of the year. The EU's accession strategy has proved a success. It has supported the candidates in their drive to reach precisely defined goals at a number of staging posts. The most powerful motivation for achieving the necessary reforms was the clear and credible prospect of joining the EU. The European Parliament supported us in our work with supplementary analyses and constructive criticism. As we enter the final stages, the European Parliament will play a decisive role. In our analysis, we draw the conclusion that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will be able to meet all accession criteria and join the EU by the start of 2004. However, there are three major tasks to be completed in the intervening period. First, the Treaty of Nice must be ratified. I would like to appeal to voters in Ireland, when they are deciding how to vote on the Treaty of Nice, to bear in mind that these countries' future in Europe depends on their vote. These are countries that were kept apart from us against their will and now want to join our family permanently, once and for all. Second, we must settle the remaining unresolved issues in the accession negotiations. The main points are the "financial package", as it is known, and the institutional questions, which are of particular relevance to this House. The Member States now need to demonstrate sufficient flexibility and willingness to compromise to ensure that common positions can be reached on these unresolved issues. Third, the candidate countries must carry on preparing for membership even after the negotiations have closed, until they actually join the EU. In particular, they must honour the commitments that they have made to the EU during the negotiations. Our analysis is fair and it is based on objective criteria. It enables us to meet the EU's political objective of accession before the elections to the European Parliament in 2004, without sacrificing the requisite clarity, we have left nothing to chance; we have unequivocally pointed out all shortcomings that still need to be addressed and all areas where specific preparatory measures are still required. Our analysis is based on a tried and tested method of assessing progress in terms of laws, regulations and other measures actually adopted and implemented. This time, we reviewed not just the previous year but the period since 1997, and we have included our prognosis for the run-up to accession. We had to make a prognosis. The candidate countries are not required to complete their preparations until they join. However, we have to conclude the negotiations now, to allow enough time for the political decision process. Rest assured: our prognosis has a solid foundation. It relies on a sound knowledge of the pace and quality of the preparations in each of the ten countries. The process of EU enlargement is a broad one. Work towards the goal of enlargement, with the stringent preparations that involves, will continue for the countries that will not be taking part in this next round. Romania and Bulgaria have set 2007 as their indicative date for their accession. The Commission will strongly support the two countries in achieving this objective. In the meantime, we propose a gradual but substantial increase in pre-accession assistance for those countries. Turkey has been making major and very welcome progress towards meeting the accession criteria. Our pre-accession strategy for Turkey is having exactly the effect we hoped for. With regard to democracy, the rule of law and human rights, Turkey has changed more in the last eighteen months than in the last few decades. It was too much to expect Turkey to meet all the political criteria in full this soon, and the Commission clearly states what still have to be done. We want to encourage Turkey to push ahead with its bold reforms. The door stays open for Turkey. We therefore propose stepping up pre-accession assistance for Turkey from 2004 on, with the aim of strengthening the public administration, promoting the adoption of Community law and economic integration with the EU. We will continue to work towards our strategic goal of welcoming a united Cyprus as a new Member. The next few weeks will bring a "window of opportunity" for ending the decades-old conflict and providing all Cypriots with the chance of a better future. The conflict can be solved; it is a question of political will. As in the past, we will do all we can to facilitate the finding of a solution. The parties involved know that the EU intends to reach a decision in Copenhagen, and it will. I call on everyone involved to make one big final effort. Overall, the Commission is of the opinion that all candidate countries have made significant progress towards meeting the Copenhagen criteria. That goes not just for the adoption but also for the implementation of Community law. It has also been gratifying to see the candidate countries honouring the commitments they gave during the negotiations. We believe that all ten countries will meet all of the Copenhagen criteria in time for accession at the beginning of 2004 as planned. All candidate countries - with the exception of Turkey - meet the political criteria already. Significant progress has been made in improving the independence, transparency and efficiency of their public administrations. In most countries, further improvements have been made to the legal system. However, in spite of general progress with regard to the political criteria, there are still some problem areas, which we identify clearly and unambiguously. These include shortcomings in the administration, corruption, minority rights and equality issues. The assessment of progress towards meeting the Copenhagen economic criteria must be viewed in the context of the global economy. Nevertheless, most candidate countries managed to exceed the average EU growth rate of 2.6% in the period from 1997 to 2001. Cyprus and Malta have already fulfilled all economic criteria. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary and the Czech Republic also have functioning market economies. These countries will be able to meet the competitiveness criteria too if they press on with their reforms with as much determination as before and focus on specific areas, named in our reports. Bulgaria will be classed as a functioning market economy for the first time this year and it should meet the competitiveness criteria in the medium term. Romania has also made good progress and should be classed as a functioning market economy in the medium term. Turkey too has moved towards a better-functioning market economy, despite two serious financial crises. Most candidate countries have now adopted a large proportion of the Community acquis. However, they must now make further improvements to their administrative and institutional capacity. This year's reports reveal the areas where a special effort is still required. In particular, certain issues have still to be addressed in agriculture, regional policy, financial control and the customs union. The Commission will continue with its regular monitoring to track developments in these and other areas over the coming months. We will produce a final comprehensive monitoring report six months before accession. After accession, the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, including the accession treaties, will continue to check that EU law is being properly implemented in the new Member States. That is why we have introduced the concept of a safeguard clause, enabling us to intervene if the acquis is not implemented or in case of "disturbances" on the internal market. The safety clause is particularly important in relation to the internal market. At this point I would just like to make one thing very clear: honouring the commitments they have given is the key to further change and successful development in the candidate countries. It is in their own interests to stay on course. To make sure that the new Member States have the necessary administrative capacity in the next few years, we have made concrete proposals in the reports to endow the Institution Building Facility with _380 million for 2004-06. They particularly need to strengthen institutions dealing with justice, border controls, the customs union, veterinary services, nuclear safety and food safety. When we look at the progress made in the accession process to date, the picture is overwhelmingly positive and supports our timetable. Naturally, the progress reports we are presenting today focus on areas still in need of further attention. However, this should not be taken to mean that the shortcomings were in any way predominant. The reports must be viewed in the context of the enormous of progress made over the years. The full picture emerges only when you compare what has been achieved with what has still to be done. We must also make every effort to keep the public in the current and future Member States informed about the enlargement and to win their support for it. This remains one of the most important objectives in the next stage, up to accession and beyond. Parliament has a decisive role to play here and I would encourage all to contribute to the wider debate, with those in favour of enlargement but also those who are still sceptical. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that this scepticism still exists. What worries me most is the clear lack of information in many of the Member States. Everyone in political office should understand that enlargement will become a highly topical domestic issue everywhere as soon as the treaties are signed, if not before. We must do all we can to ensure that people do not feel that if they have been backed into a corner or are having unreasonable demands placed on them when it comes to deciding on accession at national level. What is needed is information, information and more information. It is available. We just need to make sure that the public use it. The chances of a successful enlargement are slim if the public is badly informed or not informed at all. The goal of voters from 25 Member States from northern, eastern, southern and western Europe taking part in the next set of European elections, is now within sight. Let us achieve that goal of a united, democratic Europe, together with our neighbours in central, eastern and southern Europe. KOPENHAG 1993'DEN KOPENHAG 2002'YE 1993'deki Kopenhag Zirvesi'nde belirlenen kriterlerde, üye ülkelerin AB'ye katılım için yerine getirmesi gereken demokrasi, hukuk devleti, ekonomik istikrar ve AB mevzuatını uygulamaya geçirme gibi şartlar belirlenmişti. Artık bütün kıtada bölünmeden birliğe, anlaşmazlık riskinden istikrara, ekonomik eşitsizlikten refaha doğru ilerliyoruz. Bu yılın sonunda Kopenhag'da, dokuz yıllık sürecin sonuçları ortaya çıkacaktır. Genişlemenin faydası, Avrupa'da istikrarın sağlanması ve pazarın büyümesidir. Genişleme, komşularımızda istikrarı artırdığı için sorun değil çözümdür. Vatandaşlarımızın güvenliği ve refahı için temel oluşturan topluluk politikalarına katılımı sağlayan ve esas olarak anlaşmazlıkların önlenmesine dayalı bir süreçtir. Genişleme müzakereleri programa göre ilerlemektedir; yol haritasının hedeflerine ulaşılmaktadır. Yıl sonuna kadar birçok adayla yapılan müzakerelerin tamamlanması ulaşılması zor ancak gerçekçi bir hedeftir. Bu sayede yeni üyeler 2004 yılındaki Avrupa Parlamentosu seçimlerine katılabilecektir. Önümüzdeki aylarda aday ülkelerle yapılacak müzakerelerde genişlemenin özellikle mali boyutu ele alınacaktır; yeni üyelerin ortak tarım politikasına entegrasyonu, bölgesel yardım ve üye ülkelerin bütçelerinin AB'ye katılımdan olumsuz yönde etkilenmemesini sağlamak gibi konulara ağırlık verilecektir. Komisyon'un bu konuda getirdiği önerilerde ağırlık verdiği konular, Berlin'de kararlaştırılan global bütçe tavanlarına uyulması, geçiş süreci gerektirse bile yeni üyelerin bütün ortak politikalara katılması ve müzakerelerin ileride yapılabilecek tarım ve bölgesel politika reformlarına halel getirmemesidir. Aday ülkelerin tam üyeliğe iyi hazırlanması şarttır. Avrupa Birliği üyeleri için en önemi şartlardan biri iyi işleyen bir kamu idaresi sisteminin ve kamusal kurumların varlığıdır. Ayrıca topluluk hukuku konusunda bilgili ve yorum yapabilecek durumda olan bir yargı sistemi de olmalıdır. Aday ülkelerin bu konularda üyeliğe hazırlanmasına yardımcı olmak için çok detaylı ve karmaşık bir destek sistemi oluşturulmuştur. Genişlemenin sonuçları konusunda hem aday, hem de üye ülkelerde çeşitli endişeler vardır. Ancak daha önceki üyelik müzakerelerinde de gördüğümüz gibi, genellikle bu tür endişeler abartılıdır. Sağlam dayanağı olan endişelere çözüm bulunabilir. Ayrıca bu endişelerin altında yatan tehditlerden birçoğu, genişlemeden bağımsız olarak da geçerlidir. Bu endişelerin birçoğunun temelindeki asıl konu, kamuoyunun hissettiği belirsizlik duygusudur. Genişleme gibi karmaşık ve zorlu bir süreçte, bahanelere sığınmadan ve gecikmelere neden olmadan ilerlemeli, "Kopenhag'dan Kopenhag'a" sözünü gerçeğe dönüştürmeliyiz. TÜRKİYE'Yİ CESUR REFORMLARA DEVAM ETMESİ YÖNÜNDE TEŞVİK ETMEK İSTİYORUZ AB'nin bu yıl yayınladığı ilerleme raporları ve Genişleme Stratejisi belgesi, Birliğin bu yolda üstlendiği en zor projelerden birini teşkil etti. Titizlikle yapılan bu analizlere göre, yıl sonuna kadar gerekli kriterleri yerine getiren 10 aday ülke (Kıbrıs, Çek Cumhuriyeti, Estonya, Macaristan, Letonya, Litvanya, Malta, Polonya, Slovakya ve Slovenya 2004'te üyeliğe çağrılacak) için Birliğe kabul müzakereleri sonuçlandırılacak. Bu sürecin son safhasında ise Avrupa Parlamentosu karar verici rolünü üstlenecek. Fakat önce Nice Antlaşması'nın bütün ülkeler tarafından onaylanması gerekiyor. Özellikle İrlanda oyunu kullanma konusunda bilinçli olmalıdır. İkincisi mali konuların halledilmesi, üçüncüsü de aday ülkelerin müzakereler sonuçlansa dahi tam üye olana kadar AB'nin talep ettiği hazırlıklarını sürdürmeleri gereğidir. AB'nin istediği şartların üye olana dek tamamlanması beklenmemekte ve siyasi bir karar verme süreci için zaman tanınmaktadır. Kararlarımız bu on ülkenin hazırlık sürecindeki hız ve kaliteye dayanılarak verilmiştir. Romanya ve Bulgaristan'a 2007 için bir tarih verilmektedir. Türkiye adaylık kriterlerini yerine getirmek amacıyla demokrasi, hukuk ve insan hakları konularında son 18 ayda son yıllarda olmadığı kadar ilerleme göstermiştir. Tüm kriterleri bu kadar kısa zamanda yerine getirmenin zorluğunu anlıyor, çabalarını teşvik ediyor, AB kanunlarına ve ekonomik yapısına uyum için yapılması gerekenleri belirtiyor, ilişkileri geliştirme önerisi ile kapılarımızı Türkiye'ye açık tutuyoruz. Kıbrıs'ın tümünü aday olarak bünyemize almak konusunda stratejik hedefimizi sürdüreceğiz. Genelde tüm aday ülkelerin Kopenhag kriterlerine ulaşma konusunda şimdiden belirli bir noktaya-Türkiye hariç-geldiklerini düşünüyoruz. Bu ülkelerin gelişmeleri AB tarafından üyelik öncesi ve sonrasında izlenmeye devam edecektir. Bu arada genişleme konusunda desteklerini sağlamak amacıyla üye ülkelerin toplumlarını bilgilendirmek gerekmektedir. Haydi, orta, batı ve güney Avrupa'daki komşularımızla birlikte birleşik, demokratik bir Avrupa hedefine hep birlikte ulaşalım.