| Author (Person) | Davies, Eric | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Publisher | ProQuest Information and Learning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Title | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series Details | 16.11.01 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication Date | 16/11/2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content Type | News, Overview, Topic Guide | In Focus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background and reporting on the week's main stories in the European Union and the wider Europe
The 2001 Regular Reports for each Candidate Country and the accompanying Strategy Paper were adopted by the Commission on 13 November. Speaking to the European Parliament, Commission President Romano Prodi said: 'The Reports presented by the Commission today show the beginning of a new European era is 'just a few steps away'. Let us take these steps together, continue and intensify our co-operation in the months to come and lay the foundations for a larger and stronger Union.' Whilst acknowledging the 'substantial progress' made by all Candidate Countries towards meeting the accession criteria, and describing the main findings of this year's Reports as 'encouraging', the Commission called for further efforts to ensure the proper implementation and enforcement of the acquis. To help Candidate Countries improve their ability to administer the acquis, the Commission has proposed a Background There are 13 Candidate Countries. Before they can join the European Union, each must meet a number of criteria specified by the 1993 Copenhagen European Council (the 'Copenhagen criteria'):
Six countries started accession negotiations in March 1998: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. A further six began negotiations in February 2000: Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Slovakia. Turkey has not yet started negotiations, although a pre-accession strategy is being implemented. Turkey applied to join the European Community in 1987, but it was not until the 1999 Helsinki European Council that its application was approved. The Commission's Regular Report 2000 concluded that Turkey did not meet the Copenhagen political criteria. Although political and economic reforms are underway, there are concerns about a number of issues, including human rights, Cyprus, and the Union's nascent Security and Defence Policy. As part of the pre-accession process, Turkey adopted a national programme for the adoption of the acquis on 3 October 2001. In its 2001 Strategy Paper, the Commission recommends that a new phase of the pre-accession strategy should commence, involving detailed scrutiny of Turkey's legislation and preparation for aligning it with the acquis. The 2001 Gothenburg European Council agreed that the first wave of new Members should conclude negotiations by the end of 2002 and participate in the 2004 European Parliament elections. The 2001 Strategy Paper stresses that, if these targets are to be met, the 'roadmap' for negotiations endorsed by the Progress of the negotiations The Regular Reports analyse the progress made by each Candidate Country towards adopting the acquis. They are based on legislative measures which have been adopted, not those in preparation, and also examine whether reforms announced since the previous Reports in October 2000 have been implemented. Negotiations between the EU and the Candidate Countries are being conducted on the basis of 31 'Chapters', each covering one or more areas of the acquis. (As part of the accession process, in a procedure known as 'acquis screening', the laws, regulations and institutions of Candidate Countries are examined to ascertain the extent to which they comply with the acquis; two of the 31 Chapters - 'Institutions' and 'Other matters' - have not been subject to the screening process and have not been opened with any Candidate Countries). Of the 29 Chapters available for negotiation, the numbers opened and closed vary from country to country. As of 26 October 2001, the situation was:
The 'leading' countries in terms of Chapters closed, are therefore Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. 10 Candidates aim to complete negotiations by the end of 2002; based on progress so far, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey are not expected to be in the first wave of new Members. During the first half of 2002, a number of important financial issues will be discussed in the context of negotiations on agriculture, regional policy and the Union's budget. The Commission has stated that the negotiations will be carried out on the basis of the current acquis and the existing financial framework which, it believes, can accommodate up to 10 new Member States. Progress towards meeting the Copenhagen Criteria are also assessed. Although there are still some concerns, the 'political' criteria set in Copenhagen are now met by all Candidate Countries except Turkey. For the economic criteria, the Reports show that 10 countries are now functioning market economies, albeit with differing abilities to cope with competitive pressure and market forces: Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia. Whilst Bulgaria 'is close to being a functioning market economy', neither Romania nor Turkey are. The third criterion - the ability to take on the obligations of membership - presents a mixed picture, with progress made in the adoption of legislation, but administrative capacity giving some cause for concern. The 2001 Strategy Paper also makes a number of more general points concerning enlargement, including the fact that 'joining the European Union is not identical with joining the euro'. Although the single currency is part of the acquis, each Candidate Country will have to conform to the convergence criteria. It also confirms that Candidate Countries 'will be increasingly involved in the discussion of the future of Europe including the Convention, which will prepare the way for the next Intergovernmental Conference.' For each Candidate Country except Turkey, the Commission also published an 'Accession Partnership' in the form of a draft Council Decision. Each Accession Partnership provides a single framework for addressing priority areas within the country concerned. Presenting the Reports to the European Parliament, Commission President Romano Prodi said that enlargement 'is a process which sees the Union preparing to shoulder responsibilities on the scale of a continent ... We have already seen extraordinary progress down the road to accession. As a result, next year will be a decisive one for the enlargement process and for the future of Europe.' Further information within European Sources Online: European Sources Online: In Focus
European Sources Online: Topic Guides
Further and subsequent information on the subject of this In Focus can be found by an 'Advanced Search' in European Sources Online by inserting 'enlargement' in the keyword field. Further information can be seen in these external links: European Commission: DG Press and Communication: Press Releases
European Commission: DG Enlargement Europa: Activities eumap.org Eric Davies On 13 November 2001 the European Commission adopted the 2001 Regular Reports for each Candidate Country and the accompanying Strategy Paper. |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
1 billion 'action plan'. Following enlargement, the European Union will be home to some 500 million consumers and will be the world's largest economy and trading power.