Brussels, 30/08/2002 (Agence Europe) - Meeting with journalists at the start of the new political season after the summer recess, Hans Gert Pöttering, Chair of the EPP/ED group in the European Parliament, reviewed the group's position on the Stability Pact, enlargement of the Union, relations with the Arab world, the European Convention and the floods in certain Member States and applicant countries. Certain of these topical issues will be debated at Parliament's plenary session that gets under way on Monday in Strasbourg (see elsewhere in this issue). Mr Pöttering explained the following.
Stability Pact: The EPP group is opposed to any revision of the Maastricht criteria. "We must stick to them. Relativising stability would be to burst a dam. The EPP/ED as a central political force wishes to guarantee a stable currency in the Union and outside it", said Mr Pöttering, echoing his group's very firm position.
Enlargement: The EPP/ED advocates strict respect for the enlargement calendar. Noting that it was the group he chairs that was the first to propose the participation of the applicant countries prepared for accession in the European Parliament elections in June 2004, Mr Pöttering declared: "We insist that this calendar must be respected. It is out of the question for ratification of the accession treaties to take years. It must happen within one year. The EPP group is not speculating on the identity of the countries concerned but is working on the assumption that they will be ten. "
Turkey: The EPP/ED thinks it is too early at this stage to set a date for the start of accession negotiations. "We want fair treatment for Turkey. We are reluctant about this country's accession, but Turkey is an applicant country. That is an objective political fact. We welcome the legislative package adopted recently as a means of moving closer to the Union's values, but this is still insufficient from the standpoint of the Copenhagen criteria. It is vital for this package of laws to be implemented. We want to see tangible progress in order to commence negotiations", declared Mr Pöttering. In his view, abolition of the death penalty is not enough. The treatment of the Kurds and of Christians will also be decisive. "The elections on 3 November next will be an extremely important element", he added.
The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in Poland: Mr Pöttering commented that granting this region a visa-free status, as requested by President Putin, is not a solution likely to meet with the approval of the EPP/ED. "Enlargement goes hand in hand with the need to make the Union's external borders secure. Such a solution would be tantamount to putting limits on security. We would like to see a flexible access system set into place for Kaliningrad, based on a permanent visa for instance. It is important not to lose sight of security", he commented.
Relations with the Arab world: The EPP/ED recommends more intense Euro-Arab dialogue. "Enlargement must not be exclusively eastward, but also to the South. In this context, we insist that terrorism must not be compared to a religion and we stress the urgent need for more intense dialogue with the Arab countries", stated Mr Pöttering, who recently returned from a mission to Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Qatar.
Asked about the attitude to take towards Iraq, Mr Pöttering replied that the finishing touches were still being put to the group's detailed position with a view to the debate in plenary (on Wednesday morning). Expressing his personal view, he commented that: a) the debate must not turn into anti-Americanism, but must be open; b) it would be regrettable for the governments of certain Union Member States to speak in their own name, it being understood that "there must be a common European stance on this question, if the European Union hopes to implement a genuine common foreign and security policy"; pressure has to be kept to bear on Saddam Hussein to force him to open his country to United Nations arms inspectors; d) if the United States is considering taking a different approach, it would be well-advised to consult its allies; e) in the latter hypothesis and in any case, the United Nations must be involved.
European Convention: A staunch supporter of the Community method, the EPP/ED expects the Convention led by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing to present proposals in June 2003 for a European constitution. "Our group would not accept a Convention outcome that would strengthen only the governments of Europe. We want a strengthening of all the institutions - Parliament, Council and Commission -, with the latter evolving into a sort of government", declared Mr Pöttering. Asked about the speech by Jack Straw in Birmingham (see EUROPE of 29 July, p. 3), he welcomed the fact that "the British Government is open to the idea of a European constitution". He added, however, that "what is important is not the word, but the content. We think it is of paramount importance that the Union's responsibility be placed in its institutions, not in the governments. We want a Community Europe. It will be important to be sure that the British have the same thing in mind".
Floods: The EPP/ED group is in contact with the governments of the non-EU states concerned, the Council Presidency and the Commission. "There are situations where the Union must show solidarity with the regions concerned, Austria, Germany, but also the Czech Republic", observed Mr Pöttering.