Peadar Clohessy
Ceist:51 Mr. Clohessy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the way in which he envisages the likely course of EU enlargement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18344/95]
Written Answers. - EU Enlargement.
The Treaty on European Union provides that any European State may apply to become a member of the Union. There are at present nine applications on the table. These are from Turkey, Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia and Estonia. Applications from a number of others are expected in the future.
The Treaty also provides for consultation with the Commission whose opinion is sought by Council on all membership applications.
The date, the Commission has provided its opinion on the Turkish, Cypriot and Maltese applications. In the case of Turkey, that country's application was the subject of a Commission opinion in 1989 which concluded that it would not be useful to open accession negotiations straight away but that a range of steps should be taken to intensify the EU's relations with Turkey. Since then, a Customs Union, between the EU and Turkey has been agreed and, subject to its ratification by the European Parliament, is due to come into force on 1 January 1996. In the case of Cyprus and Malta, the Commission's opinions were delivered in July 1993 and were essentially positive.
Commission opinions on the membership applications received from Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia and Estonia are awaited.
As regards the likely future course of EU enlargement, it is worth recalling that last year's European Council meeting in Essen reiterated the position adopted at its earlier meeting in Corfu with regard to the commencement of accession negotiations. This is that the institutional conditions for ensuring the proper functioning of the Union must be created at the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference which, for that reason, must take place before accession negotiations begin. As regards Cyprus and Malta, the Essen European Council also confirmed that the next phase of enlargement will involve these countries. It was subsequently agreed that accession negotiations with Cyprus and Malta can begin six months after the Intergovernmental Conference's conclusion, taking into account its results.
These are the only aspects of the timetable of future enlargement that have been agreed to date. It would not be sensible to engage in speculation on the commencement date of accession negotiations with other applicant countries or on the duration of all future accession negotiations. Nor do I wish to speculate on which applicant countries, apart from Cyprus and Malta, are likely to be involved in the next phase of enlargement.
The Madrid European Council is expected to consider the question of future enlargement in the light,inter alia, of a number of reports prepared by the European Commission. These include its anlaysis of the effects of enlargement in the context of the Union's present policies and their future development and alternative strategies for further development of the EU's relations with the Associated Countries of Central and Eastern Europe in the agriculture sector. We welcome these reports as an important contribution to defining the issues involved for the Union and the applicant States in future enlargement.