Vol. 482 No. 3
46 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the views, if any, he has on EU enlargement; the timeframe he envisages in this regard; and the consequences, if any, of this enlargement for Ireland in relation to access to adequate structural and cohesion funding. [17867/97]
The opening of accession negotiations with the new democracies in central and eastern Europe, with Cyprus, will mark a new and decisive phase in the historic project of creating a United Europe, united on the basis of shared democratic principles, respect for minorities and for human rights, and with economic opportunity and social justice for all. Ireland is committed to enlargement, on the basis shared by all our partners, that it is an historic opportunity for peace, stability and prosperity in Europe.
The Luxembourg European Council will take a series of key decisions with regard to the management of the enlargement process, including the applicants with which the EU should open accession negotiations; practical arrangements for the initial phase of negotiations and the reinforcement of the Union's pre-accession strategy. We believe that the arrangements for the management of the enlargement process should entail equality of treatment between the applicants in accordance with the criteria laid down by the Copenhagen European Council, should aim to sustain the inclusive, evolving and dynamic nature of the process and maintain the momentum towards accession on the part of all applicants.
With regard to the timeframe for the enlargement process, we envisage that accession negotiations will, in accordance with the conclusions of the Amsterdam European Council, open as soon as possible after December 1997. We share the Commission's general approach that negotiations should be conducted with each applicant on its own merits. We would envisage, therefore, that in the case of each applicant for EU membership, the pace and date of conclusion of negotiations will be governed by the progress achieved by each candidate in adopting the acquis communitaire.
It is essential in the enlargement process to preserve what the Union has achieved thus far including the very features which have made it so attractive to applicant countries. This includes the Union's structural and cohesion policies. Ireland is, therefore, among the member states which insist that the future finanical framework of the Union must continue to provide for adequate structural and cohesion funding for the less developed member states and regions within the existing Union.
In the context of the Commission's Agency 2000 proposals, a budgetary framework for the period 2000 to 2006 is being negotiated. The challenge which Ireland faces during that period in relation to structural and cohesion funding derives principally from the movement of our economic performance towards the Community average rather than from the prospect of new member states acceding during the period. In this regard, the Government will strongly argue that adequate transitional arrangements must be made for member states or regions which overshoot the GDP eligibility criterion for Objective 1 funding. The Government's priority will be to ensure that any such transitional arrangements fully address our continuing significant development needs.
