Enda Kenny
Question:23 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps, if any, he and his EU colleagues are taking to encourage greater democracy in Slovakia in order to assist that country to become a full EU member. [18117/97]
Written Answers. - Slovakian Democracy.
Ireland, with partners in the European Union, welcomes Slovakia's aspiration to Union membership, and is concerned that every effort continues to be made to assist it to achieve that goal.
Under the Commission's enlargement proposals, which are currently under active consideration, a reinformed accession strategy would be put in place to enable all the applicant countries to meet eventually the criteria for membership. It is envisaged that this strategy would operate through individually tailored accession partnerships. These would be drawn up by the Commission in co-operation with each applicant state. They would target for priority action, according to an agreed timetable, those areas identified in the Commission's opinions as requiring attention and would mobilise, within one framework, all the resources available to the Community for assisting the applicants to prepare for accession. In the case of Slovakia, the accession partnership could help provide focused and concentrated support towards the further integration of its democratic institutions to the political life of the country.
Ireland welcomes the Commission's proposals. A final decision on these matters will be taken by the Union at the European Council in Luxembourg in December. Ireland's approach on that occasion will be based on the concern to ensure that the enlargement of the Union is managed as an inclusive process and that effective arrangements are put in place to provide concrete assistance where it is most needed in each of the applicant countries to help them to meet the Copenhagen criteria for Union membership.