European Commission: Strategy Paper and Report 2003

Europe on the eve of enlargement

The next enlargement of the Union will further strengthen the unity of the European continent and help create an area of lasting peace and prosperity.

In 1993, the Copenhagen European Council opened up the perspective of enlargement to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The EU subsequently launched an ambitious pre-accession strategy that has guided and sustained the candidates' preparations for membership until the present day.

In striving to fulfil the EU's accession criteria and adopting the EU's regulatory framework, candidates have been able to accelerate domestic reforms at the same time as they have been preparing for EU membership. Europe's citizens have grown closer together -- as shown in the solidarity among current and future EU members during the severe floods which hit Central and Eastern Europe this summer.

The historical and political arguments in favour of enlargement are compelling. It will also produce substantial economic benefits.

Both the existing Member States and the prospective members benefit from political stability. Stable democracies have emerged in Central and Eastern Europe. The credit for this success belongs mainly to the people of those countries themselves. The political stability in the Central and East European candidate countries is rooted in common European values: democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the protection of minorities. Causes of conflict, such as minority issues and border problems, are removed. A stable political framework is a precondition for lasting peace and neighbourly co-existence, as well as for a successful economy.

This means an opportunity for the candidate countries to improve their living standards and their prospects in global competition. Candidate countries already conduct between a half and two-thirds of their trade with the EU. The rapid growth in trade has helped to develop new markets and investment. Full integration with accession, together with the adoption of common rules and standards across the world's largest single market, will further enhance the opportunities to achieve socially and environmentally sustainable growth.

On the basis of political and economic stability, the enlarged Union will be better equipped to confront global challenges. An enlarged Union will add weight to the EU's external relations, in particular to the development of a common foreign and security policy. Improved co-operation between current and future Member States will help combat international crime and terrorism.

The enlarged EU will need to look beyond its own borders to develop a new neighbourhood policy for the benefit of all. Reflections on the policy for a 'wider Europe' are being developed. They aim for a more coherent approach of an enlarged Union to the neighbouring countries. The Commission is presently examining the options of enhancing the EU policy towards the new neighbours in order not only to counterbalance possible fears following enlargement but to ensure that enlargement provides opportunities, such as an expected increase in trade and economic growth on both sides. Such a new proximity policy will underline that an enlarged EU will ensure an open attitude and foster common interests and activities with its neighbours in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The future Member States are making valuable contributions to the discussions on the future of Europe in the context of the European Convention which prepares the way for the next institutional reform. The work of the Convention is essential for the future of Europe. The full participation of the candidate countries has clearly shown the added value of an enlarged Union.

The Commission's assessment of candidate countries in this year's Regular Reports carries three important messages:

• The Union's pre-accession strategy has proved a success. The transformation process in the candidate countries has been considerably accelerated by the prospect of enlargement.
• The accession negotiations, which have been based on the principles of own merits, differentiation and catching up, can be concluded with most candidates by the end of 2002. Preparations for enlargement will continue.
• Enlargement is an inclusive process which is not yet completed with the first accessions. The European Union continues to give its full support to current candidates that will not be in a position to participate in the next wave of enlargement.

Candidates have invested significant efforts in the enlargement process. Important political and economic decisions have been made in anticipation of enlargement. In order to reach the full benefits of integration for both future and current Member States, the envisaged timeframe for enlargement must be kept without compromising the quality of the accession process.

The Commission hopes to see a re-united Cyprus acceding to the European Union on the basis of a comprehensive settlement, as the best outcome for all concerned. . As indicated in the conclusions of the Seville European Council, the Union is ready to accommodate the terms of a political settlement in the accession arrangements in line with the principles on which the European Union is founded. The Commission welcomes that substantial UN involvement will continue. All parties concerned should now make a concerted effort to achieve such a settlement before the completion of the accession negotiations. Taking into account the statements of the UN Security Council, the Commission urges Turkey, in particular, to lend full support to efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement this year. In this event, Cyprus' terms of accession can be adapted to reflect the comprehensive settlement as well as its implications for the application of the acquis throughout the island.

The Commission continues to be active in contact with all the parties concerned to reinforce efforts to reach a settlement. It has proposed that the Union make available considerable resources to support the northern part of the island to catch up and to back up a settlement. The Commission notes that, in the absence of a settlement, the decisions to be taken in December by the Copenhagen European Council will be based on the conclusions of the Helsinki European Council.

In its successive meetings in Gothenburg, Laeken and Seville, the European Council reaffirmed that, if the present rate of progress in negotiations and reforms is maintained, the European Union is determined to conclude the negotiations with Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia by the end of 2002, if those countries are ready. The objective remains that these countries should participate in the elections for the European Parliament in 2004 as full members. The European Council in Seville added that, in order to enable it to decide with which candidate countries negotiations can be concluded at the end of 2002, the Commission would have to draft appropriate recommendations in the light of its Regular Reports.

The Seville European Council also encouraged Bulgaria and Romania to pursue their efforts and reiterated the Union's commitment to give them full support in their preparation for accession.

It added that an updated road map and a revised and enhanced pre-accession strategy should be adopted in Copenhagen for the candidate countries still engaged in negotiations. An increase in pre-accession financial aid could also be contemplated. Furthermore, if the current pace is maintained, a more precise timetable could be set for these countries' accession process by the end of the year.

This Communication examines the above-mentioned requests of the European Council.

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