Willie Penrose
Question:54 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress, if any, made at the opening of negotiations with the EU enlargement applicants held in Brussels on 10 November 1998. [27580/98]
Written Answers. - EU Enlargement.
The accession process was launched by the 15 member states, the ten central and eastern European countries and Cyprus on 30 March 1998. Intergovernmental conferences to begin accession negotiations were inaugurated the following day with Hungary, Poland, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Cyprus, the "five plus one” or the “ins”. At the same time, the preparation of negotiations with Slovakia, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, and Bulgaria, the “preins”, is being expedited, in particular through an analytical examination of their national legislation against the requirements of the Union's acquis.
Intergovernmental accession conferences at ministerial level were held between the European Union and five plus one candidate countries en marge of the General Affairs Council on 10 November last. Position papers on the seven chapters of the acquis where screening is complete — science and research; telecommunications; education and training; culture; audio-visual and media; industrial policy; small and medium sized companies — were exchanged between the Union and each of the candidates. While these chapters were not expected to cause major difficulties, in any event, the member states and the candidate countries are highly satisfied with progress made to date.
Intensive work on the accession process will continue under the incoming German Presidency. They hope to open substantive negotiations on at least another seven chapters of the acquis and possibly more. Both Germany and Finland, which takes over the Presidency in the second half of 1999, have indicated their determination to keep up the momentum in the accession negotiations.