8 December General Affairs Council

Date: 11/12/1997

THE last foreign affairs ministerial before the Luxembourg summit left the EU as divided as ever over how to proceed with enlargement to central and eastern Europe. Although Luxembourg's Jacques Poos claimed the Union had reached a “consensus on a text reflecting broad lines”, ministers backed away from any decision on the start of negotiations and the launch of the European Conference next year.

GREEK Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos publicly attacked any move to include Turkey in the European Conference, arguing that if the forum was set up, its members should “have institutions compatible with those in the EU”. He added: “We do not understand the need for this conference. What would it be, given that the 11 enlargement countries are catered for elsewhere? If it is designed for relations with Turkey, I believe progress should be made on substance, not on impressions.” He did indicate, however, that if Turkey accepted International Court of Justice jurisdiction over disputed boundaries in the Aegean, he could change his stance.

DANISH and Swedish calls for 'screening' of all applicants at the same time were partially accepted. Most countries now believe that full negotiations should begin with the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Slovenia and Cyprus, while 'preliminary talks' - a kind of semi-screening - should be held with Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania. “Between the two processes there is a degree of osmosis,” said Poos.

FOREIGN Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek announced the creation of a 100-million-ecu 'catch-up' fund, replacing the Phare multi-country allowance. The fund will “finance those areas where the pre-ins are clearly behind the ins” from 1998 to 1999, he said. Countries will be invited to apply for funds on a case-by-case basis.

MINISTERS agreed there had been no basic changes in Cuba over the past six months, and that contacts with its authorities should be limited. They stressed the need for the island to become a pluralist democracy that respected human rights, and called for greater economic progress.

SEVERAL countries, led by Austria's Wolfgang Schüssel, called for the EU to adopt a unified strategy to fight immigration from Iraq. Schüssel argued that the EU should cooperate against Mafia groups which traffick illegal immigrants into countries like Sweden, Germany and Austria.

THE EU and Mexico signed an economic partnership agreement, intended to lead to a free trade accord. External Relations Commissioner Manuel Marín said that “today the EU can count on a great new partner in its transatlantic relations”.