Paudge Connolly
Ceist:226 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the accession timetable for the candidate countries for EU membership. [21407/02]
Written Answers. - EU Enlargement.
Ireland's ratification of the Nice treaty and the significant agreement at last month's Brussels European Council on financing enlargement removed major potential stumbling blocks in the enlargement process. The Council expressed its determination to conclude negotiations at the Copenhagen European Council in December with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, and to sign the Accession treaty in April 2003. Accession is expected to take place in early 2004 during the Irish Presidency, in time for the European Parliament elections in June 2004. Intensive negotiations are taking place to ensure the resolution of outstanding problems in negotiations before or at the Copenhagen European Council.
The European Council also expressed its support for Bulgaria and Romania in their efforts to achieve their objective of membership in 2007. Turkey was also encouraged to pursue its reform process and the next stage of its candidature will be considered at the Copenhagen European Council.
The Government is confident that the timetable for completing the negotiations with ten of the candidate countries at the Copenhagen European Council is now achievable and looks forward to welcoming the acceding countries as members of the EU during the Irish Presidency in the early part of 2004. The people have voted resoundingly for enlargement and the Government is determined to sustain the momentum in the process created by that vote.