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On the 8 November 2000 the European Commission adopted:
- an 'Enlargement Strategy Paper' for the forthcoming years
- the 2000 'Regular Reports' for each of the applicant countries
- proposals for an 'Accession Partnership' for Turkey
Background
Thirteen countries have applied to join the European Union. They are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey. Formal negotiations are currently proceeding with twelve of these countries:
- 'First wave': Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia - negotiations began March 1998
- 'Second wave': Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovakia - negotiations began February 2000
- At the European Council in Helsinki, December 1999 the EU decided that Turkey could be a formal candidate for accession on the basis of the same criteria applied to the other candidates, although no date was fixed for the formal start of negotiations.
For each country the European Commission publishes each year a 'Regular Report' outlining the current status of the negotiations, evaluating progress, and suggesting measures that the country should take to advance preparations for membership. The reports for 2000 for the twelve countries currently negotiating and Turkey were published on 8 November 2000.
In addition, the European Commission adopted an overall 'Enlargement strategy paper' for the coming months proposing:
- a method to deal with requests for transitional measures put forward by the candidate countries
- a detailed 'road map' to tackle the remaining negotiation issues with the most advanced countries, stage by stage in 2001 and 2002.
This replaces the 'Composite Paper' published in the previous two years.
The European Commission also published on the 8 November 2000 a proposal for an 'Accession Partnership' for Turkey. The Accession Partnership sets the priority areas to which a country needs to devote particular attention in order to prepare for accession. The proposal will be adopted by the Council of the European Union by qualified majority.
Further background information on enlargement can be found in:
- European Sources Online: Topic Guide: Enlargement of the European Union- European Commission: DG Enlargement
- European Commission: DG Education and Culture: SCADPLUS: Enlargement: Preparation for the accession
- European Commission: Press and Communication Service: Press Release: IP/00/1264
Enlargement Strategy Paper
In the paper the European Commission proposes concrete steps to ensure that the EU will be in a position to welcome new members from the end of 2002, depending upon candidates countries ability to assume the obligations of membership and to successfully complete the negotiations. Negotiations are now entering a new phase where substantial and difficult issues have to be addressed. The Commission stresses that the EU must have adopted reformed institutional procedures before enlargement can take place and thus urges the European Council to take the necessary decisions in Nice in December 2000.
The paper aims to create a new momemtum for the negotiations with a focus on four aspects:
- transitional measures
- a 'road map' for the negotiations: providing a detailed timetable
- applying the principle of catch-up: to allow for advanced 'second wave' countries to negotiate more quickly
- to make recommendations concerning the implementation of the pre-accession strategy for Turkey
The full text of the Strategy Paper is available. It is summarised in a Press Release. On the day of its release European Commission President Romano Prodi and European Commissiner for Enlargement Günter Verheugen gave speeches in the European Parliament.
Regular reports
The European Commission has adopted a report for each of the thirteen applicant countries. The reports assess the progress made by each country in meeting the Copenhagen criteria agreed by the European Council at Copenhagen in 1993.
The European Commission makes its assessments for each country under the following headings:
- political criteria: strengthening democratic institutions, corruption, trafficking in women and children and the position of the Roma
- economic criteria: economic performance is beginning to improve with the overall average real increase GDP in 2000 for the thirteen countries being just below 5&percent;
- adoption, implementation and enforcement of the acquis: the adoption of the necessary legislation in the individual countries proceeds sataisfactorily; less satisfactory is the setting up and strengthening of the necessary institutions in the countries to implement and enforce the acquis.
The text of each of the Regular Reports is available.
Accession Partnership for Turkey
The European Commission, together with the Regular Report for Turkey, presented on the 8 November 2000 a proposal for an Accession Partnership. This states the principles for meeting the accession criteria, the short-term and medium-term priorities for meeting these criteria, the financial assistance made available for the pre-accession strategy and the conditions under which this assistance is provided.
The text of the Commission's proposal is available.
Further information within European Sources Online:
European Sources Online: Topic Guide
- Enlargement of the European Union (January 2000)
European Sources Online: European Voice
- 10.2.00: Verheugen insists Austria cannot slow pace of enlargement talks- 17.2.00: The EU has formally launched enlargement talks with six additional applicant countries...- 24.2.00: MEPs suffer enlargement 'growing pains'- 9.3.00: Turkish Cypriots urged to join entry talks- 23.3.00: War of words erupts over enlargement- 23.3.00: Applicants push for swift progress in talks- 30.3.00: Push to clinch farm deal with EU applicants- 27.4.00: Animal welfare warning to EU applicants- 11.5.00: Applicants warned to speed up reforms- 18.5.00: No place for posturing in enlargement talks- 18.5.00: Free movement of workers in an enlarged Union sparks fierce row- 18.5.00: Battle looms over share-out of seats in the Parliament- 1.6.00: 25-26 May: Enlargement negotiations- 8.6.00: Debate over dates is counter-productive- 8.6.00: Commission plans applicants' scoreboard to measure progress- 15.6.00: Turkey disappoints its EU champions- 15.6.00: Timetable for expansion starts to slip- 15.6.00: Public support for membership in applicant countries wanes- 15.6.00: Fierce battle over farming poses biggest obstacle to hopes of early expansion- 15.6.00: Call for restrictions to stop 'flood' of cheap workers
15.6.00: Battle for hearts and minds begins- 20.7.00: Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen has said that he expects the EU to admit the first new members no later than 2005- 20.7.00: New funding plan to prepare Turkey for membership- 27.7.00: Tide turns towards setting a target date for ending accession talks- 3.8.00: France has firmly rejected calls by the UK and other member states for a firm date to be set for the end of accession talks with applicant countries.
- 21.9.00: The three leading candidate countries for EU membership insist they are still aiming to join by 2003.- 28.9.00: Applicants demand a seat at next IGC talks- 5.10.00: MEPs take tough line on enlargement talks- 12.10.00: Commissioner Günter Verheugen said this week that 2003 remained a 'realistic date' for the first wave of enlargement.- 19.10.00: Sweden to push for breakthrough in key enlargement talks- 26.10.00: The second wave of countries applying for EU membership have restated their ambition of joining the Union in 2003.
- 9.11.00: Second-wave trio risk missing enlargement boat
Penguin Companion to European Union:
- Enlargement, 2000
Business Guide to EU Initiatives:
- Enlargement of the European Union, 1999 (this will be replaced by the 2000 edition on 13.11.00)
Further information can be seen in these external links:
(long-term access cannot be guaranteed)
European Commission: DG Enlargement
- Homepage
- Bulgaria
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Turkey
European Parliament
- Enlargement of the European Union, 2000
- Briefing papers: Classification by country, 2000
- Briefings by subject, 2000
Websites from the applicant countries providing enlargement information
- Bulgaria: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: European integration
- Cyprus Republic of Cyprus: International relations
- Turkish Republic of Cyprus: London Embassy: Membership of the European Union
- Czech Republic: Embassy in Finland: Czech Republic and the European Union
- Estonia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Estonia and the EU
- Hungary: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: European integration
- Latvia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Foreign policy
- Lithuania: Minsitry of Foreign Affairs: European Integration Department: Integration of Lithuania into the European Union
- Malta: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Main objectives
- Poland: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Poland enters EU
- Romania: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: EU Accession
- Slovakia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Slovakia and the EU
- Slovenia: Government Office for European Affairs
- Turkey: Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Foreign policy
BBC News
- 8.11.00: EU to warn applicants about corruption
European Policy Centre
- Challenge Europe: Core Topics: Issue 2: European Union Enlargement, 2000
Further and subsequent information on the subject of this week's In Focus can be found by an 'Advanced Search' in European Sources Online by inserting 'Enlargement' in the keyword field.
Ian Thomson
Executive Editor, European Sources Online
Compiled: 11 November 2000
Background and reporting on the week's main stories in the European Union and the wider Europe.
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