ACCESSION PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES, PRIORITIES
AND CONDITIONS
(20632) - (20643)
12188/99 - 12199/99
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Draft Council Decision (EC) on assistance to applicant countries in the framework of the pre-accession strategy. Approval of the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions of the Accession Partnerships with Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Malta.
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| Legal base: |
Article 2 of Regulation 622/98 of 16 March 1998; qualified majority voting
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| Documents originated:
| 13 October 1999 |
| Forwarded to the Council:
| 22 October 1999 |
| Deposited in Parliament:
| 15 November 1999 |
| Department: |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration:
| EM of 26 November 1999
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| Previous Committee Report:
| None |
| Discussed in Council:
| 6 December General Affairs Council
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| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision:
| Cleared |
Introduction
10.1 The Luxembourg European Council of
December 1997 approved the concept of an Accession Partnership
(AP) for each applicant country, as a means of improving the pre-accession
strategy. Council Regulation (EC) No. 622/98 of 16 March 1998[38]
provides that the Council shall decide what principles, priorities,
intermediate objectives and conditions are to govern each AP.
10.2 The APs are revised each year to take
account of progress made by the applicants and of any shortcomings
identified in the annual Commission progress reports. Once approved
by the Council, the APs form the basis for the allocation of pre-accession
aid for the following year. To the ten applicants whose APs were
submitted for scrutiny last year[39],
two more have been added, those for Cyprus and Malta.
The draft Decisions
10.3 Each Decision recalls the principles
attached to membership, which include the requirement for each
applicant to meet the Copenhagen criteria, in terms of both adopting
the necessary legislation and adjusting administrative structures
so that the legislation can be properly enforced.
10.4 The priorities and intermediate
objectives are divided in each Decision into short-term work
which can be completed by the end of 2000, and medium-term work
which is expected to begin in 2000 but take longer than a year
to complete. For instance, in the case of:
- Bulgaria, the short-term
priorities include to start implementing the Roma Framework Programme
and to adopt and implement a realistic timetable for closure and
decommissioning of units 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Kozloduy Nuclear Power
Plant;
- Lithuania, a medium-term
priority is to start the closure and decommissioning of Unit 1
of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant;
- Malta, a short-term
priority is to present a programme to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the public administration;
- Poland, a short-term
priority is to continue the privatisation of state-owned enterprises
and to do further work on, and implement, a rural development
plan for a sustainable future rural economy; and
- Romania, the short-term
priorities include the guarantee of adequate budgetary provision
for the support of children in care and a full reform of the child-care
system. Longer-term objectives include continuing the progressive
alignment of visa legislation and practice with that of the EU.
The Government's view
10.5 The Minister for Europe (Mr Vaz) says
that the Government strongly supports enlargement of the EU to
include the Central European states, Cyprus and Malta. He says:
"This will enhance stability,
security and prosperity in Europe. The Accession Partnerships
are an important element of the strategy designed to accelerate
the candidates' readiness for membership. The UK has been closely
involved in their development at Working Group level, and fully
supports their aims and content."
Conclusion
10.6 The priorities set out in these
drafts, since adopted at the 6 December General Affairs Council,
are unlikely to be controversial. They are based on the progress
reports produced by the Commission on each applicant which were
due to be discussed at the GAC and later approved at the Helsinki
European Council.[40]
We report briefly on the APs so as to draw them to the attention
of the House, given the importance of EU enlargement and the interest
in the progress made by the applicants in their bid to qualify
and be accepted for membership of the Union.
10.7 We now clear the documents.
38 OJ No. L 85, 20.3.98, p. 1. Back
39 (18857)
- to (18866) -; see HC 155-xix (1997-98), paragraph 9 (4 March
1998). Back
40 (20599)
12053/99 et seq; see paragraph 8 of this Report. Back
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