Brussels, 28/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Commissioner responsible for enlargement, Gunter Verheugen, reiterated the Commission's determination to fully play its part as objective member, but rigorous in the EU's enlargement process. The Commission will only give its approval for the accession of countries that are truly ready to honour the rights and duties of a full Member State. At the same time the Commission undertakes to do its utmost so that the enlargement process is concluded as rapidly as possible, believing that "quality and speed do not exclude each other reciprocally."
"Therefore the message to the candidates is that they have no reason to doubt the EU's willingness to bring the process of enlargement to an end as quickly as possible. At the same time, no one should doubt our determination to insist on quality. The enlargement process has to go ahead as fast as possible and as substantively as required," said Mr. Verheugen in an interview to Uniting Europe, the specialised weekly by Agence EUROPE on the enlargement of the EU (see complete interview in Nº 92 of 27 March, pages 1-4).
The Commission wants both in parallel: quality and speed. The two must go together," said the Commissioner.
With regard to quality, "the Commission has to ensure that the candidates' state of preparedness really justifies their accession. No political discount may be granted, not even in favour of politically important candidate countries," said Mr. Verheugen. Following the negotiations the Commission will carry out a "rigorous and objective" evaluation of the candidate real ability for accession. "We will recommend that the Member States sign the accession treaties only if we are totally convinced that the candidate concerned is fully capable of respecting its rights and duties as a Member State from the first day of accession."
As for the rapidity of the process, "it is mainly up to the candidates themselves. It is the candidates who will determine the speed, we are ready to follow their pace," said Mr. Verheugen. In his opinion 2003, the "target date" for accession chosen by the six countries in the Luxembourg group (Poland, Hungary, Czech republic, Estonia, Slovenia and Cyprus), where "extremely ambitious, but still possible." It is not a utopia, on condition that the political framework is favourable, that is to say that the IGC will be finished by the end of this year, that the accession negotiations are finished without delay and that the two successive ratification processes (of the IGC and the accession treaties) are sufficiently quick. He underlined that the EU, in accordance with the undertakings made at the Helsinki Summit, will be ready on this date to welcome the first new members.
Mr. Verheugen indicated that the Commission would propose, by the end of this year or at the beginning of next, an indicative timetable for the conclusion of the negotiation with the first candidates. According to him the future accessions will have to be done in groups, which would enable the EU to "take into account political and geographical elements." "It would be ideal, but I do not know if it is possible," he stated. The Commissioner also indicated that the Commission would recommend to the Member States not to immediately specify the request for a transitory period over the free movement of workers for the new Member States (such a request has been made in Germany and Austria), but wait for the forming of negotiation packages. The Commissioner believes that the fears felt by certain Member States over the influx of workers from the future new Central and Eastern States are "exaggerated" but he nevertheless feels it necessary to foresee transitory mechanisms to temporarily limit these flows. As for agriculture, Mr. Verheugen said that the main question, that of direct aid to farmers of the future members, is still open. The Commission is presently trying to prepare its draft common position for the Member States on this chapter, over which the negotiations with the six countries of the Luxembourg group are open until June. The uncertainty over this aspect means, "we cannot hope that the EU will present, by June, a complete and substantial common position," said Mr. Verheugen. The opening of negotiations in June will be a better opportunity for the EU to ask additional questions to the candidates than to reveal its substantive negotiating position. A substantive position for the EU should only be ready by the end of the year or, more probably, at the beginning of next year. Poland, due to its size and the importance and structure of its agriculture will be the "key country" in the search for a solution. "I cannot imagine how the EU could close the agricultural negotiations with other applicants, without having a clear view of what the solution for Poland will be," stated Mr. Verheugen