Written Answers. - EU Applicant States.
Gerard Murphy
Question:
137
Mr. Murphy
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
if he will give an assessment of the state of democracy and the strength of the economies in each of the former states of the Soviet Union and the states he believes could become candidate states for EU membership.
[9943/03]
At the time of its dissolution in 1991, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Republics. The largest of these was the Russian Federal Soviet Socialist Republic, now the Russian Federation. The other Republics which became independent are Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are in Central Asia.
During the Soviet period, military, political and economic priorities for the Republics were set within the centrally planned Communist system; local development needs were assessed in Moscow, and local government was very limited in scope.
For this reason, when the Soviet system collapsed, the norms of economic, political and social development which we associate with democratic statehood and free market economies were absent. Standards which we take for granted – a functioning court system, an independent judiciary and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms – were fragile or absent. Many of the former Soviet Republics faced the future in 1991 ill-prepared for the challenge of democratic change.
Progress since 1991 has been very uneven. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have made outstanding progress. Last year they concluded accession negotiations, and I look forward to welcoming them as EU member states under the Irish Presidency next year.
The challenges that faced Russia, the largest and most powerful of the Soviet Republics, were unique. Since 1991, Russia has made significant progress, moving towards the norms of representative democracy, and transforming its identity and the nature of its influence on world affairs. As for the Caucasus, frozen conflicts and ethnic rivalries have made progress difficult; while in Central Asia, especially serious problems of respect for human rights and democratic governance remain to be solved. Through the activities of the Council of Europe and the OSCE, democratisation, respect for human rights and the rule of law are actively being promoted.
With the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the European Union decided to support the transition process towards market economies and democratic societies in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Since the beginning of the nineties, the EU has developed a much more formal and political relationship with these countries. Partnership and co-operation agreements have been concluded with most of these countries. The EUs co-operation objectives are to build relationships with these countries in which the respect of democratic principles, the rule of law and human rights, as well as the consolidation of a market economy are fostered and supported.
The economic performance of the states of the former Soviet Union has generally improved in recent years. Economic growth rates in 2002 have in general slowed compared to 2001, but the slowdown has been less severe than in other parts of the world. Growth in 2003 is expected to be broadly similar to that of 2002.
However, the countries of the former Soviet Union are at quite different stages in terms of economic development. The Baltic countries embraced structural change relatively quickly while others are still at the beginning of the transition process. This is reflected in economic growth rates with states such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania experiencing gross domestic product growth rates in excess of 5% in 2002. On the other hand Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Georgia experienced growth of under 5% last year.
Some of the former Soviet Union states such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have faced particularly difficult transitions as a result of their land-locked locations, distance from developed economies and modest natural resource endowments. Further structural reforms are likely to be necessary to put these countries on the path to sustainable economic growth.
Apart from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, no former Soviet Republic has formally sought membership of the EU. Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union stipulates that any European State may apply to become a member of the European Union. Before any application could be considered, a country has to meet the criteria set out at the Copenhagen European Council in 1993. These criteria state that "Membership requires that the candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities, the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union".
On 11 March this year, the European Commission published a working paper, proposing broad guidelines for future policy towards our neighbours to the east and in the southern Mediterranean. This "Wider Europe/New Neighbourhood" initiative aims to strengthen the EU's bilateral relations with its neighbours, including,inter alia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, with the intention of developing a “ring of friends”, with which the EU can enjoy close, peaceful and co-operative relations. In return for concrete progress demonstrating shared values and the effective implementation of political, institutional reforms, the new neighbours could potentially benefit from closer economic integration with the EU.
The last 12 years have seen enormous transformations in Central and Eastern Europe; the political and economic context is significantly different to what it was during our last Presidency in 1996. I am confident that in our Presidency next year, we will succeed in developing our relations with our new neighbours to the benefit of all our peoples.
Question No. 138 answered with Question No. 70.
