Brussels, 29/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs decided to defer until the January plenary the debate and the adoption of the report by its chairman, Elmar Brok (CDU), on the EU's enlargement strategy proposed by the European Commission in its Strategy Paper of 9 November (EUROPE 9065). Initially, it was foreseen that this report should be approved during the December plenary, together with the reports on Bulgaria and Romania. The motive given for deferring the voting was that there was a fundamental difference of views between the rapporteur, Elmar Brok, and most of the other members of the committee on a key paragraph in the report in which Brok “calls on the Commission and the Council to submit proposals for an option between full membership of the Union and the status of 'neighbourhood country', along the lines of the European Economic Area, and to use such an option as an intermediate step towards full accession”. Dutch Green member Joost Langendijk said that, in this strategy, they talk of enlargement to the candidate countries (Croatia, Turkey) as well as to the Western Balkan states, namely countries that have either already begun accession talks or have a medium or long term prospect of doing so. He therefore asks, “Why try to bring in the concept of 'privileged partnership' through the back door?”. With this report, the Liberal Group (ALDE) does not wish to create a new “status” (between candidate and neighbourhood countries) for countries wishing to join the EU, Belgian Liberal Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck explained. André Brie (PDS, Germany) also refused to question the prospect of membership granted to Turkey, Croatia and the Balkan countries. Only Alfred Gomolka, an elected member of the CDU, like Elmar Brok, defended the rapporteur, saying that, given the current “imbalance” between the European Union's enlargement and consolidation, “we need greater variability” in our relations with neighbouring countries that aspire to EU membership. After a short break in voting, requested by Belgian Socialist Véronique de Keyser, Brok admitted it was possible to come to a consensus on this “strategically very important issue” and that, from now on, he recommended postponing the debate and the vote on his report till the plenary session in January. “We should not rush over such an important issue”, Elmar Brok said. The committee finally decided to follow its chairman.
Given the obvious connection with the Brok report, the committee also decided to defer till January the report by British Conservative Charles Tannock on the EU's Neighbourhood Policy.