Brussels, 10/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - "Ill controlled enlargement may pose an existential problem for the Union", shouted EU Council President Louis Michel before the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by Elmar Brok, on Tuesday. "I'm not one of those who believe that enlargement may occur without conditions. Had we, in the past, respected the conditions a little more, Europeans would probably hold Europe a little more to heart", he went on. Then, in answer to Danish Liberal Mr. Haarder, concerned at the allusion made by Guy Verhofstadt as to the "quality of enlargement", he stipulated" what Mr. Verhofstadt wanted to say was that it was not because problems were more difficult (as we progress in accession negotiations: Ed) that we needed to be "more complacent". "Criteria are criteria", he hammered home. And to the Swedish Liberal Ms. Malstrom who spoke along the same lines, he replied: "I'm surprised at your concern, unless you have an idea behind your head". And (while hurrying to say "I know that's not the case") he considered that there was right for concern faced with words that give the impression that someone should want enlargement "with very few criteria, to render the EU incapable of working". "If, at some time, we see among the Fifteen that there needs to be more flexibility in accession negotiations, will shall decide among Fifteen, but I can tell you that our position will not be flexible, as we like Europe too much", declared Mr. Michel. And, to dissipate any confusion, he exclaimed, during this very lively and spontaneous exchange of views with MEPs: "Enlargement yes, a hundred thousand times, a million times yes, I am totally committed, but respecting the criteria. I'm not prepared to talk rubbish". To Belgian Christian-Democrat, Mr. Van Hecke who in this context raised the problem of the Structural Funds and the CAP, Mr. Michel recalled that, had these issues been discussed immediately, that would have caused delays in accession negotiations. "I believe that these issues will be broached in the framework of the debate over the future of Europe, both from the point of view of the allocation of powers and that of the EU's funding", he predicted (while, in passing, said that he had just had a very interesting discussion in Berlin with his counterpart Joschka Fischer on the subject of funding the CAP).
Questioned by Mr. Alavanos, Greek member of the Group of the United Left, over Turkey, the President of the Council stated: "It's obvious that they are not in a position to meet the criteria". He then regarded as embarrassing Turkey's request for "pre-screening", as, he said, "it's a little as if we left out evaluation of the respect of the criteria, as pre-screening comes just before accession negotiations". Other problem, other than the sizeable one of Cyprus, the fact that Turkey "is trying to secure recognition, through NATO, of a right of veto over ESDP" (by its blocking an agreement on EU access to the assets of the Atlantic Alliance for Pertersberg-type operations). There is a British paper drawn up with the backing of the Americans and Turkey, but "that's not enough", Michel observed, adding: "we proposed to them "association in a "decision-shaping" mechanism, but not "decision-making", which would be totally unacceptable". According to Mr. Michel, "there should be a permanent agreement with NATO before the Laeken Declaration that would proclaim the EU operational" in this matter (EUROPE will return tomorrow to what Belgian Defence Minister Andre Flahaut had to say before this same parliamentary committee, speaking along the same lines and who also hoped that in future there could be formal meetings of defence ministers, considering that this should occur at latest under the Spanish Presidency, in the first half of next year).
The President of the General Affairs Council, who remarked in passing that High Representative Javier Solana, together with the Commission, had "increasingly been led to assume the Union's external representation" (we also have a "very political, very capable" Commissioner, German Social Democrat Mr. Sakellariou, pointed out here, alluding to Chris Patten), moreover, answered questions on:
- the Middle East. "Involvement in the region of those representing Europe has in some way helped overcome the differences of opinion between Member States, and the facts have been stronger than the differences", Mr. Michel told Mr. Salafranca, member of the Spanish Partido Popular. According Mr. Michel, one of the EU's main problems is that it has to "appear to be perfectly neutral", whereas the Israelis "have the feeling that it is not perfectly equidistant". However, when answering Luxembourg Socialist Mr. Poos (who was scathing at the attitude of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon), he sad: "You have raised the real problem: Sharon has given himself the right to decide what the cease-fire is (….) It's up to him". …/..