| Author (Corporate) | European Commission: Press and Communication Service |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Press Release |
| Series Details | IP/00/1264 (8.11.00) |
| Publication Date | 08/11/2000 |
| Content Type | News |
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The European Commission proposed on the 8 November 2000 concrete steps to ensure that the Union will be in a position to welcome new members from the end of 2002, depending on candidate countries ability to assume the obligations of membership and to successfully complete the negotiations. More than two and a half years after the launch of the accession negotiations, the enlargement process will enter a new phase where substantial and difficult issues have to be addressed. Therefore the European Commission, at the initiative of Enlargement Commissioner Günter Verheugen, today adopted an “Enlargement strategy paper” to be submitted to the European Council, proposing: first, a method to deal with requests for transitional measures put by the candidate countries; second, a detailed 'road map' to tackle the remaining negotiation issues with the most advanced countries, stage by stage, in 2001 and 2002.The Commission considers that if these proposals, which are based on the strategy adopted by the Helsinki European Council, are effectively pursued, the negotiations can be concluded in the course of 2002 with those candidates who fulfil the criteria for membership.For the first time the Commission proposed an 'Accession Partnership' for Turkey as requested by the European Councils of Helsinki and Santa Maria de Feira. The Accession Partnership identifies the main priorities Turkey must address to meet the Copenhagen criteria, including the political criteria.Both the Enlargement Strategy and the Accession Partnership for Turkey are based on the 'Regular Reports' which have been adopted 8.11.00 for each of the 13 candidate countries. These reports assess the progress of the candidates in their preparation towards accession. Overall, the candidate countries have made remarkable progress both in the economic field and regarding the adoption of the acquis. However, progress in setting up and strengthening the institutions required to implement the acquis has been uneven. |
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| Source Link | http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/00/1264&format=HTML&rapid=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
