Barcelona, 18/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - The twelve countries applying for EU membership, that were invited by the Spanish Presidency in Barcelona to take part - for the first time - in a formal working session of the European Council, took advantage of the debate on Friday morning on the Lisbon strategy. They energetically stressed their determination to be part of the process and to actively support the efforts being made by the EU in the aim of becoming the most competitive economy in the world by the year 2010.
Poland is determined to "support the aims of the Lisbon strategy and to take part in its implementation", said Leszek Miller, Polish Prime Minister. "We recognise the importance of economic and social structural reforms in the European Union to acquire increased competitiveness on the global market. We are interested in making progress in this process because the positive effects of modernisation and liberalisation of the EU economy will soon be felt in the candidate countries also", said Mr Miller. The candidate countries are confronted by the same challenges as the current EU, and there is no reason to postpone their active involvement in the Lisbon process until the time when they officially become EU members. "The more we can do before accession, the easier our integration into the Union structures will be", said the Polish Prime Minister. "The road towards the Lisbon objectives is the right road", said Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman, who stressed the importance of ensuring maximum social cohesion between the Fifteen and the future new members in order to ensure economic growth. Mikulas Dzurinda, Slovakian Prime Minister, also supported the structural reforms envisaged, placing specific emphasis on the need to improve the level of education in order to enhance the competitiveness of the European economy. Andris Berzins, Latvia's Prime Minister, told the press that the retirement system in his country had even been described as "exemplary, even for the European Union" by some EU leaders.
Some of the candidates even took initiatives in Barcelona to fuel the debate. Thus, the Czech Republic presented two documents to the Summit (one, together with the Netherlands, on the reform of the retirement system, the other on the establishment of a European database for employment and education possibilities in an enlarged Union), while Hungary issued a joint declaration with the United Kingdom on the information society. Others insisted on the added value that the candidates may bring to the Lisbon process. Thus, Romanian President Ion Iliescu told the press that the 2010 target would not be reached without the support of the future members. Successfully achieving the Lisbon challenge is a "common mission, in the common interest", he said. The same message was given by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban: "The best way for the European Union to achieve its aim of becoming the most competitive economy by 2010 is to enlarge as rapidly as possible". Hungary is currently devoting 1.5% of its GDP to research and development, and it is hoping to reach 3% in 2010. Following the Hungarian example in this field would be a "dream scenario" for the EU, he said.
Other candidates seized the opportunity provided by the Barcelona debate (and mainly by the discussion on market opening and liberalisation) to criticise the restrictions that the EU is imposing on them (or plans to impose) in the context of accession negotiations. Restrictions would be in the form of transitional periods (for example, in the field of free movement of workers or of transport (road cabotage). It is all very well for the EU to speak of liberalisation and opening of markets, but there are sometimes "deep contradictions" between its words and deeds, criticised Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman. "We need concrete actions", he said. Siim Kallas, Estonia's Prime Minister, also insisted on the need to reduce the restrictions imposed on the free movement of persons (workers), transport (cabotage) and agriculture. "This is one of the main preconditions for making the European Union the most competitive economy", said Mr Kallas. Estonia would be ready to accept full energy market liberalisation, he stressed. Hungary, too, "has nothing to fear" with regard to the liberalisation of the energy markets, Mr Orban said.
Several representatives of the candidate countries (including Slovakian Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan, and Malta's Prime Minister Edward Fenech Adami) also welcomed, when speaking before the press, the fact that, for the very first time, these States have been described as "future member countries" rather than "candidates".
Although explicitly excluded by the Spanish Presidency from the official Summit agenda, the membership talks strictly speaking were also discussed in Barcelona - if only in the corridors or in bilateral meetings. Thus, Polish Prime Minister Miller held separate discussions with the German and
Dutch Prime Ministers, Messrs Schröder and Kok, as well as with Commissioner Günter Verheugen (enlargement), on the problem of Polish agricultural land being bought by EU citizens (chapter on free movement of capital). "After these talks, we have the hope that the negotiations on this chapter will be concluded" during the next accession talks in Brussels on 21/22 March, said Mr Miller (Commissioner Verheugen expressed views along the same lines). The head of the Polish government also spoke of an "uncertain future" should his country's accession not take place in 2004. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman also held a long discussion with Commissioner Verheugen over the Benes Decrees affair (no meeting was held with Chancellors Schüssel and Schröder, but such meetings had not been scheduled, Mr Zeman insisted). The Czech Prime Minister added that these decrees were under no circumstances going to be incorporated or annexed to the Treaty on accession of his country to the EU, "as accession treaties are geared towards the future, not towards the past".
Bulent Ecevit stresses importance of European "social justice" policies and calls
for more support in combating terrorism
Speaking at the summit, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit mainly affirmed that, given the effects of globalisation, "the EU's social justice policies are becoming all the more significant". One of Turkey's problems is the existence of a large rural population, he stressed, noting that, thanks to Turkey, the EU will come closer to an "Euro-Asian reality" which could open up new horizons and rebalance "certain negative effects of globalisation". In this context, Mr Ecevit spoke of the "priority project of natural gas/Caspian Sea/Middle East-EU", which aims to connect Turkish and Greek gas pipeline networks and which will make these two countries a major transit route for natural gas from the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East, "in accordance with the Lisbon strategy". Finally, Mr Ecevit spoke of the "scourge" of terrorism and said he hoped that "all EU members" would now "support us more effectively" in this struggle.
In answer to questions on possible military action against Iraq, Mr Ecevit affirmed that he was deeply concerned by such a prospect, despite his "disagreement" with Baghdad. Such intervention would destabilise the region and the Turkish economy would suffer as a result, he said, noting that, since the Gulf War, Iraq is at any rate "under surveillance".
To the question of whether the treatment inflicted by the Italian police on Turkish football supporters was a demonstration of "fascism", the Turkish foreign Minister, Ismail Cem, simply said: "We have the photos before us. They speak for themselves".