Conclusions

In the light of the above the European Commission recommends to the European Council to conclude on the basis of the following elements:

1. The Regular Reports show that all negotiating countries have made substantial progress over the last year in implementing the accession criteria, which, together with the road map, has permitted considerable advances in the negotiations.
2. The principles for this process remain unchanged. The Berlin European Council has set out a clear framework for the financial aspects of enlargement. This framework provides a sufficient basis for the accession of up to ten new Member States in 2004. The European Council of Nice has defined the framework for the institutional reform necessary for enlargement. Negotiations are conducted on the basis of the existing acquis and will be concluded with those candidates that fulfil all the criteria for membership, applying the principles of own merits and catching­up. These are the necessary and sufficient conditions defined at the outset for accomplishing the first accessions.
3. To this end, the road map should be followed as foreseen. The EU will now have to determine common positions for the remaining chapters. The Commission will ensure that the Council can debate financial issues in a common framework early in 2002 and will present proposals to the Council the fields of agriculture, regional policy and budget on the basis of the existing acquis and the principles inherent in the Berlin agreement. The accession negotiations can be concluded independently of decisions for financing the EU after 2006.
4. This year's Regular Reports and the present stage of the accession negotiations do not yet allow the Commission to conclude that the conditions for accession are fulfilled by any of the candidate countries. Given the present pace of negotiations and the progress made so far, the Commission should be able to make recommendations on those candidate countries ready for accession on the basis of its 2002 Regular Reports. Among the twelve negotiating countries, ten have target dates of accession compatible with the Göteborg timeframe. The Union should therefore be prepared to conclude accession negotiations by the end of the Danish Presidency in 2002, in view of accession in 2004, with all countries meeting the necessary conditions. Necessary administrative preparations inside the Institutions are already under way and should be continued.
5. In the framework of an action plan, the Commission will analyse by early 2002 with each of the candidate countries their on­going efforts for institution building and, if necessary, their intentions to reinforce them, using a supplementary institution building facility. The Commission will inform the Council on monitoring actions including peer reviews by Spring 2002, so that they can be taken up in the single framework of the accession negotiations. The Commission will, by the time of the Seville European Council in June 2002, report on its action plan including on the monitoring of commitments made by the candidate countries during the accession negotiations. The 2002 Regular Reports will examine whether the candidate countries will have, by accession, adequate administrative capacity to implement and enforce the acquis.
6. Negotiations will be pursued with those candidates, which will not form part of the first accessions, on the basis of the principles that have guided the accession process from the outset. The opening of all 29 acquis related negotiating chapters should be possible next year, if the candidates are sufficiently prepared. In its 2002 Enlargement Strategy Paper, the Commission will set out an updated road map, and, if necessary, a revised pre­accession strategy, taking into account the progress made in the next year and the conclusions of the Göteborg European Council.
7. All candidate countries should be associated as far as possible to the Lisbon process. Candidate countries will be involved in the discussions on the future of Europe and in the Convention which will prepare the way for the next Intergovernmental Conference.
8. The parties involved in efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem need to take full advantage of the window of opportunity before the completion of the accession negotiations to achieve a settlement. Provided the necessary political will is shown, a settlement reflecting the concerns of the respective parties is attainable through the process under the auspices of the United Nations. It is particularly important that the Turkish Cypriot leadership should re­engage in the UN process. The provisions of a political settlement can be accommodated within EU accession arrangements for Cyprus in line with the principles on which the EU is founded. However, as decided by the European Council in Helsinki, if a settlement has not been reached before the completion of the accession negotiations, the Council will take its decision on accession, without this being a pre­condition, in accordance with the conclusions of the Helsinki European Council.
9. By the end of this year, all elements of the pre­accession strategy for Turkey, decided by the European Council in Helsinki, will be in place. The pre­accession strategy should move into a new, more intense phase, with the detailed scrutiny of Turkey's legislation and preparation for alignment with the acquis. Turkey is encouraged to pursue the process of political and economic reform, in order to make further progress towards satisfying the Copenhagen criteria and the Accession Partnership priorities. In the short term, particular importance is attached to improving the respect for human rights in practice and to creating the conditions for economic stability and growth. Turkey should be forthcoming in working towards a solution of the Cyprus problem. Furthermore, Turkey should contribute actively to overcome the differences that have arisen over the European Security and Defence Policy.
10. To ensure that the public in Member States and in candidate countries is well informed about the process of enlargement, its implications and its potential benefits, the communication strategy will be pursued with the full assistance of Member States and the European Parliament. Indeed, it is imperative that the historical process of re­unifying the European Continent is strongly rooted in the support of its people.

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