BRUSSELS: The European Parliament approved the eastward expansion of the European Union this week, after resolving a dispute which had threatened the signing ceremony of 10 new candidate countries.
On Wednesday, the current 15 member states voted on each of the 10 candidate countries individually and overwhelmingly backed each one.
The vote paves the way for the 10 mostly former communist countries to join the EU in May 2004, if the national parliaments of EU member states and voters in the candidate countries also give their support.
The 10 candidate countries hoping to join the EU in 2004 are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Negotiations for these countries were completed in Copenhagen in Dec 2002.
The vote was passed after a row between the European Parliament and the European Commission over post-enlargement was resolved at the last minute. On Tuesday the Commission agreed to increase the budget in the first three years after enlargement to 540 million euros (579 million dollars).
Michaele Schreyer, Commissioner for the Budget, welcomed the news: She said: “Faced with this historic step, we had an obligation to find a satisfactory outcome in the negotiation on finance for the enlarged Union. With this question resolved, all financial decisions are taken so that enlargement can become a successful reality in 2004.”
The issue came to light a month ago when members of the parliament discovered budgetary provisions and threatened to delay the vote. Patrick Cox, parliament president argued that the agreement that member states had reached among themselves neglected parliament’s role as an equal partner in setting budgets and underestimated the cost of enlargement.
Negotiations in Athens failed last week because member states refused parliament’s request for 600 million euros (644 million dollars) and said their limit was 400 million euros (429 million dollars).
Finally on Tuesday, Aristides Agathocles, Greece’s ambassador, agreed a final sum which was confirmed one day later.
Under the agreement, member states will provide additional extra 540 million euros, according to 1999 prices, which brings the total down to 480 million euros in today’s prices.
The money will cover the 2004-2006 period and will be used for “internal policies” such as energy, transport, environment, employment and consumer protection.
Wednesday’s accession votes were met with a round of applause, as senior officials and diplomats watched in parliament. However, up to 70 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted against enlargement or abstained.
Lithuania and Slovenia received the largest support and were both approved by 522 votes to 22, while the weakest was for the Czech Republic which was approved 489 votes to 37.
After the voting, Patrick Cox said: “The time for enlargement has come and the time is now. We want to create a Europe reconciled and united around common ideal sand values.”
MEPs also insisted that the enlarged EU should speak with a common voice on the international stage and that members should cooperate in formulating a common foreign and security policy.
Enrique Baron Crespo, the leader of the parliament’s socialist bloc, said that the EU now had “special responsibilities to strengthen transatlantic ties, especially the relations between the EU and Nato”, so as not to disappoint the expectations of the new candidates.
This was in reaction to a growing rift between the two bodies over the war in Iraq. Crespo also urged the leaders of existing and future EU countries to express their support for the central role of the United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq.
The official signing of the 10 new candidates is due to take place at the foot of the Parthenon in Athens next Wednesday and EU leaders will meet for a two-day summit around the event. The countries will officially become members of the EU on May 1 2004. —Dawn/InterPress News Service
