Gothenburg, 15/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - Mr Persson opened the debate on enlargement with the proposal that the Fifteen should give a "very strong signal" to candidate countries to make them understand that, despite the irritation and uncertainty caused by the Irish "no" to the Treaty of Nice, the enlargement process will be continued with the same dynamic, the same political determination and the same speed as over the past months during which the Swedish Presidency was able to make considerable progress in talks. To this end, the president of the European Council had proposed conclusions that would have clarified the "timetable" for negotiations by going beyond the declaration of Nice. In particular, Mr Persson wished to include in the conclusions of Gothenburg the EU affirmation that, if one respects the "road map" approved in Nice, "then it will be possible to conclude negotiations with the most advanced candidate countries before the end of the year 2002". This, continued Mr Persson, would allow the first candidates to take part in European elections in 2004.
From the outset of talks, however, it rapidly appeared that - even if they support the idea of giving a positive sign to candidates - a large number of heads of government consider that the Nice formula (the hope that first candidates might take part in the next elections) was already sufficiently ambitious at this stage in negotiations and that, consequently, it would be appropriate not to mention the date of 2002, in order not to put the EU under pointless pressure. Thus, Germany felt that it is enough to confirm the Nice declaration, which, according to German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, would in itself be a "very clear signal" that the enlargement process has become "irreversible". "If it were up to Germany to decide when negotiations should end, then it would be tomorrow, rather than the day after", Mr Fischer told the press. "But it is not a matter of hopes or desires, but of concrete results in negotiations" which, at the present time, do not yet make it possible to say when negotiations may be closed, said Mr Fischer. In November, after the next regular reports from the Commission, "things will be clearer", he added. French President Jacques Chirac and his Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, were even clearer: it would be "very inappropriate" to fix the date of 2002 for concluding negotiations as this could lead to "collective enlargement" to a large number of countries, "including countries that are perhaps not ready", Mr Jospin is reported to have said, according to diplomats. "This would be to the detriment of Community construction", he apparently added. "Enlargement must be opened, without undoing the European Union", President Chirac also said. France, however, urged for a declaration by the Gothenburg Summit in favour of the "irreversible" nature of enlargement, and affirmed that it could accept the rule whereby candidate countries, that have signed but not yet ratified their accession treaty, may nonetheless already take part in European elections in 2004. Austria, Portugal and the Benelux countries also urged in favour of simply confirming the Nice formula (without adding the date for the end of negotiations), so as not to put pointless pressure on the EU, without putting any pressure on candidates to be more flexible in negotiations.
The proposal by the Swedish Presidency was more or less supported by the United Kingdom, Spain, Denmark and Finland. The United Kingdom believes the "Presidency must be supported in its wish to give a realistic signal that goes beyond Nice, because a strong sign of encouragement is needed for candidate countries, not only regarding the Irish referendum, but also because support to enlargement is falling in these countries", said diplomats.