Brussels, 30/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - The commissioner-designate for neighbourhood policy and enlargement, Austria's Johannes Hahn, had no problems getting through his hearing before the MEPs of the committee on foreign affairs, on Tuesday 30 September.
At ease, well-prepared and demonstrating excellent knowledge of his dossiers, Hahn, who concluded to applause from the room, added that the meeting with the MEPs was “not so much a hearing as an exchange”. The chair of the committee, Elmar Brok (EPP, Germany), said that the applause meant that Hahn's approval in his new position was a mere formality. A few minutes after the meeting, the EPP - the party to which Hahn belongs - and also the S&D announced their approval of his appointment.
During this three-hour “exchange”, Hahn remained general in his responses to questions which were also general. He followed the lines of his predecessor, Stefan Füle, whilst adding his own personal touch in places, but never revealing his personal opinion and on occasion referring to his experience as regional policy commissioner. “I am enthusiastic but I remain pragmatic”, the Austrian politician said, also calling for cooperation with the European Parliament.
Hahn stressed one aspect for which the European Union is frequently criticised: its lack of visibility. “One essential priority for me is to improve the visibility of the European Union in the candidate countries, the potential candidates and the neighbourhood countries”, he stressed.
He took pains to reassure the MEPs that, even if there is no enlargement over the next five years, this policy area will not be neglected. “Don't lose any sleep over it, the main thing is the result; in five years, we will have made progress”, he stressed. “Realistically, none of our partners is ready to join the EU, but this does not mean that we will be treading water. My role will be to help these countries to prepare, to ensure that all of the criteria are met”, he explained. Hahn stressed three vital dimensions: the rule of law, functioning democracy and the economy. He also wishes to lay emphasis on regional cooperation.
“I will visit these countries from the start of my term in office to make clear our goodwill. We wish to continue on this road: solid negotiations and accession for our friends in the Western Balkans”, he explained.
The MEPs' many questions on the subject of enlargement also stressed the interest they attach to it. The situation of the Balkan states and Turkey was discussed. The commissioner-designate said that the question of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is without doubt “one of the major challenges of the next few years”. “It is not acceptable that a country has had candid status since 2005 but has not opened negotiations. This has consequences for the population and on the desire for reforms”, he argued. He added that he was to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina to “make contacts and see the various possible actions” to end the political stalemate. As regards Kosovo, Hahn acknowledged that the lines will have to be redrawn, as five member states (Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Greece and Slovakia) have still not recognised the country's independence. He said that, following talks with these five countries, it will be possible, in a couple of months, to see where there are flexibility and opportunities to improve the situation. Referring back to Turkey, he stressed that the accession negotiations needed to reach cruising speed but in order for this to happen, Turkey would have to make progress on universal rights, and also on the question of Cyprus, which will be “a priority” in Hahn's talks with his Turkish counterparts.
The commissioner-designate also replied at length to questions on the neighbourhood policy, a policy he hopes to reform. He argued that a “differentiated approach is required, the policy needs to be more flexible and allow faster responses, to have the right tools to work on all of the dossiers”. Highlighting the involvement of civil society, Hahn also touched upon the principle of “more for more”. “In the past, too much emphasis was laid on 'more for more', we should not necessarily be talking about sanctions but considering the question of less for less”, he said.
When asked about the various countries of the neighbourhood, Hahn stressed that “the first priority was to find a solution to the current crisis in Ukraine”. He stressed the importance of closer political cooperation to help the government to implement all of the necessary reforms, “not just with money but also with technical assistance”. “I feel that we should not lose contact with Russia”, he added. When asked about Ukraine's desire to join the EU, Hahn skilfully deflected the question. Referring to the declaration by the Ukrainian president, Petro Poroshenko, who expressed his intention of reforming his country between now and 2020 in order to be able to apply for EU accession candidate status, the commissioner-designate pointed out that it was “a long time until the cut-off date and a long way from the resolution of all of the underlying issues”. “However, there is a desire on the part of the population to move closer to the EU and we must not reject this”, he noted. He also remained ambiguous on the wishes of Georgia and Moldova to join the EU.
And, although Ukraine seemed to be central to the concerns of the MEPs, Hahn assured them that the southern neighbourhood would be just as important to him as the eastern neighbourhood. “We are also working with the South. We have already earmarked the necessary staff to deal with the situation. Internally, our intentions towards both regions are the same, in terms of available staff and financial resources”, he stressed. Between the situation in Syria, Libya, Egypt and the Middle East, amongst others, Hahn is aware that there is no ignoring this region, in which events are quickly turning belligerent. (CG)