Sochaux, 24/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - The ministerial meeting of the European Conference (that brings together the fifteen EU countries, the thirteen countries candidates for membership and Switzerland), that was held in Sochaux on Thursday, enabled the "Twenty-nine" to have an "interesting exchange of views" on the state of play of institutional form within the IGC and on prospects for enlargement. "The candidate countries expressed their concerns regarding the future of the European institutions", said Pierre Moscovici, French Minister for European Affairs at the end of the meeting (which he chaired). Concerning, for example, the composition of the European Commission, "all candidates expressed their desire to be represented in the Commission, at least at the beginning of their accession", while being aware that a reform would be necessary after a lapse of time, as the number of Member States increases, said Moscovici. As for enlargement as such, "all want us to move quickly" and "all welcomed the Commission's strategy". Janos Matonyi, Hungarian Foreign Minister, said he was satisfied with the meeting, which, according to him, "demonstrates that the Union can work very well with 28 members". Regarding the institutional reform, the Minister said that Hungary was among the "few candidate countries" that could agree to a small Commission, "but only after a certain lapse of time".
"All the countries (members and candidates) placed emphasis on the need to reach agreement on institutional reform in Nice. Without agreement, the enlargement project could be placed back into question", said Gunter Vergeugen, Commissioner responsible for enlargement. All participating countries backed the enlargement strategy that the Commission presented early-November "as being a realistic but ambitious approach", said Mr. Verheugen. "No candidate country criticised the fact that the EU was, at this stage, unable to mention dates for the next accessions", the Commissioner underpinned. As for other institutional aspects, all the candidates spoke in favour of a new weighting of votes in Council "that takes account of the necessary balance between small and large member countries", and in favour of enhanced cooperation. In addition, Mr. Verheugen said, "all are in favour of a maximum extension of qualified majority voting". According to him, this clearly indicates that the future accessions will strengthen the camp of Member States in favour of deepening European integration.
In the afternoon, the French Presidency organised a public debate in which the ministers of the candidate countries, Commissioners Barnier and Verheugen and different prominent Europeans participated. Bronislaw Geremek, former Polish Foreign Minister and a historian of repute, called on all politicians, as well as European citizens, not to lose sight of the essential that is concealed behind the historic project of enlargement: "stability, prosperity and - especially - lasting peace" on the continent. "Accession negotiations must be technical, that's clear, as the candidate countries must take on board the acquis communautaire to integrate a system of law and an integrated European market that works and that must continue to work well. But, at the same time, it has not to be forgotten that Eastern Europe can contribute enormously to this European Union: enthusiasm and peace". Jacques Delors, former European Commission president, provided strong backing for Mr. Geremek. "Don't believe those who would tell you that war has been definitively driven off the European continent", Delors told a public that was mostly made up of young French students. "War is not behind us. Peace must remain an objective of European integration, and enlargement eastwards will contribute in securing that. Central and Eastern Europe will also provide a plus economically and commercially, and enable a larger and stronger EU to position itself with greater weight in the context of high-speed globalisation. This enlarged EU will also have more power to influence this globalisation and impose the rules that are still lacking", said Delors. But, he added, "the candidates must grasp the difficulties and obstacles to overcome before being able to join the EU and its system of law: Let's not disappoint them, but then let's not lie to them either", said Mr. Delors. "Were these countries to enter ill-prepared, it would be bad for them, for their economies and for their rates of unemployment".
Gunter Verheugen also placed emphasis on the importance of candidates being well prepared before accession. "I know that it is not very sexy to negotiate taking on board the acquis communautaire and to ensure that the candidates are able to implement it correctly. But the European Union is a community of law based on the respect and control of the application of common laws", he said. "This is why we cannot neglect technical rules", despite the political and historic dimension of enlargement. So far, accession negotiations with the ten Ceecs, Cyprus and Malta have gone well, said Verheugen, but administrative and institutional deficits are visible in each of the candidates. …/..
Between 2003 and 2005, the EU should be able to welcome a large majority of the twelve applicant countries, said Mr Verheugen. "I believe that nearly ten countries could do so", he said, saying: "Enlargement will therefore come about much faster than most had thought". Mr Verheugen was opposed to those who feel that the candidate countries are in fact more integrationist than the current Member States. Janos Martonyi, Hungarian Foreign Minister, backed this view. "We do not want to dilute the European Union. We want the contrary. We want to be part of a stronger Union, more united, more dynamic and more transparent", he said. Jan Kavan, his Czech counterpart, expressed himself along the same lines: "We want to share the same values, the values of a more integrated Union, the values of a stronger Union based on solidarity, cooperation and common policies", stressed Mr Kavan. Nicole Fontaine, President of the Erupean Parliament, restated the EP's goal: that the citizens of the first new Member States may take part in the next European elections scheduled for mid-2004.
Concluding the debate, Pierre Moscovici affirmed that the Nice Summit should reiterate the conclusions of the Helsinki Summit, namely that the EU will be ready, by 1 January 2003, to welcome new members. "And if we are ready, this means that, if the first candidates are ready also, then they will enter the Union".