Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 15 Jun 2000

Vol. 521 No. 3

Written Answers. - EU Enlargement.

Michael D'Arcy

Question:

24 Mr. D'Arcy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the stage enlargement negotiations have reached with each EU applicant state; and when the Government expects the first wave of enlargement to take place. [16915/00]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen)

The current accession process was launched by the 15 EU member states, the ten Central and Eastern European States and Cyprus on 30 March 1998. The following day, actual negotiations were inaugurated with the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Cyprus. These countries are now referred to as the "Luxembourg candidates". Negotiations have continued with these countries since then on a policy chapter basis.

At the same time, a preparatory process for negotiations continued with the other original applicants, the so-called "pre-ins"– Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovakia. Malta joined this group in 1999.

Based upon recommendations from the Commission, the Helsinki European Council on 10 December 1999 decided that the "pre-ins", including Malta, had reached a sufficient level of preparation to allow accession negotiations to be opened in 2000. This group is now referred to as the "Helsinki candidates". Negotiations with the Helsinki candidates began formally in Brussels on 15 February 2000. Actual substantive negotiations began in March, with the number and subject of negotiation chapters opened in accordance with the level of preparation in each country.

The reaffirmation by the European Council that the accession negotiation process for all 12 applicant countries should be on an equal footing and that each should proceed on the basis of its own merits and level of preparedness was significant. This should ensure that the new member states are capable of functioning effectively in the highly competitive European market.

The Helsinki European Council also decided that the European Union should be in a position to "welcome new member states from the end of 2002, as soon as they have demonstrated their ability to assume the obligations of membership" and once the negotiating process has been successfully completed.

The Helsinki European Council granted candidate status and an intensified pre-negotiation relationship with the EU to Turkey. Turkey will now benefit from a pre-accession strategy to stimulate and support its reforms. Significantly, this will entail a political dialogue with a particular emphasis on human rights. Actual accession negotiations cannot begin with Turkey until that country fulfils the Copenhagen political criteria. These rigorous criteria of democracy, human rights, protection of minorities, and the rule of law are the same for Turkey as for all other applicant countries.

The opening of the negotiating chapter on agriculture with the Luxembourg candidates on 14 June means that all possible chapters of negotiations have now been opened for these groups. Negotiation with the Luxembourg candidates have thus now entered a more substantive phase. The one chapter left for opening with the Luxembourg candidates is Institutions. The Intergovernmental Conference on internal EU reform must be completed before negotiations can be started in this area.

The Commission will table in late June-early July recommendations on the opening of further chapters with the Helsinki candidates during the French Presidency.

Ireland is a strong supporter of the current enlargement process for strategic reasons of peace and for economic reasons. We are satisfied with the progress in negotiations to date and look forward to welcoming the new member states, when they have satisfactorily completed their negotiations and have demonstrated their ability to assume the obligations of membership.