Poland on target for major breakthrough in EU talks

Date: 25/07/02

By David Cronin

POLAND is set for a breakthrough next week in its negotiations to join the EU and several other applicant countries are also expected to take another step closer to accession.

Warsaw is due to wrap up the justice and home affairs package, the 26th of 31 chapters it must complete to align its laws with those in the EU, in its last session of talks (29-30 July) before the summer recess.

The breakthrough follows an agreement yesterday (24 July) that Leszek Miller's government would strengthen controls along its border with the former Soviet Union. The Poles are due to hire 5,300 more border guards by 2006, 50 more than at present. There had been speculation that an increase in frontier policing would be stymied by attempts to restrain public spending.

A spokeswoman for Poland's EU embassy described next week's anticipated deal as being of considerable 'psychological value'. Under it, Warsaw would sign up fully to the Schengen pact on border control in early 2006. 'Symbolically speaking, this shows a political will that was thought to be missing from the [enlargement] process,' she said.

Meanwhile, EU officials expect Estonia to close the energy chapter in next week's negotiations. Tallinn has been reluctant to commit itself to liberalising its energy markets because of fears this could damage its shale oil industry, which provides 90 of its energy needs. There is now a strong possibility, however, that the industry will be granted a transition period for adjusting itself to the eventual obligations of EU membership.

Officials also believe most of the other applicant states will see progress next week. Cyprus and Latvia should be able to conclude negotiations on animal health and food safety; Hungary on audiovisual and regional policy; Slovenia, Slovakia and Malta on regional policy; Bulgaria on customs and Romania should be able to close the industrial policy chapter.

Denmark's EU presidency is hoping it will be able to fit together most of the remaining pieces in the enlargement jigsaw by the end of December. Yet many tricky questions still require answers. Chief among these are how the expansion will be financed, whether efforts to end Cyprus' division can succeed and what visa regime should apply to Russia's Baltic enclave Kaliningrad once its neighbours join the Union.

Foreign policy chief Javier Solana yesterday underlined the historic opportunity presented by enlargement. Speaking to a Rome conference, he said: 'For all those who still regard enlargement as a worrisome and costly development or a leap forward into uncharted territory, it would help to stand back and reflect how much safer a place Europe will be thereafter.'

Poland is set for a breakthrough in its negotiations to join the EU and several other applicant countries are also expected to take another step closer to accession in the last session of talks before the summer recess, 29-30 July 2002.