10.ACCESSION OF NEW MEMBER STATES
(24333)
6242/03
COM(03) 79
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Commission Opinion of 19 February 2003 on the applications for accession to the European Union by the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic.
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| Legal base: | Article 49 EU; unanimity; EP assent by absolute majority
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| Document originated: | 19 February 2003
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| Deposited in Parliament: | 7 March 2003
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| Department: | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration: | EM of 19 March 2003
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| Previous Committee Report: | None
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| To be discussed in Council: | No date set
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| Committee's assessment: | Politically important
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| Committee's decision: | Cleared
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The document
10.1 The Commission delivers a favourable Opinion on
the accession of the new Member States, noting that the ten candidates
with which the Copenhagen European Council concluded negotiations
in December 2002 have:
- fulfilled the Copenhagen political criteria of stability of
institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights
and respect for protection of minorities;
- been assessed by the Commission as functioning market economies
and judged capable of meeting the second element of the Copenhagen
economic criteria for accession, namely the ability to cope with
competitive pressures and market forces within the Union; and
- completed the negotiation of the overall terms and conditions
of accession.
The Government's view
10.2 The Minister for Europe, Mr Denis MacShane, fully
supports enlargement and considers that the terms are good for
the UK and for the EU as a whole. He says that the larger single
market will help British firms to expand production and notes
that, since 1990, UK trade with the ten accession states has increased
nearly ten times as fast as with the rest of the world.
10.3 Other benefits of enlargement, which the Minister
describes as an historic achievement, uniting the continent after
decades of division, are that it will
"spread European values, standards and norms, ensuring, [for
instance], the application of human rights and protection of minorities,
and raising environmental and health and safety standards. ...
[It] will also improve the EU's ability to tackle global issues.
It will help to control migration, as full access to the single
market raises living standards and provides better opportunities
for candidate country workers in their own countries. The prospect
of enlargement is boosting co-operation between present and future
Member States on tackling organised crime, drug trafficking and
people smuggling. The incoming Member States are bringing their
police forces and border controls up to EU standards and will
participate in EU anti-crime institutions."
10.4 The Minister comments that, in the months ahead,
the ten acceding states will need to pursue the commitments entered
into during the accession negotiations and at Copenhagen. The
Commission will continue to monitor the implementation and enforcement
of the acquis communautaire by the ten, and will produce
a final monitoring report in November 2003.
10.5 The Minister notes that the Copenhagen Council agreed
a package of £25 billion for the new Member States between
2004 and 2006 — roughly 3% of their GDP per year. The additional
appropriations for 2004, 2005 and 2006 are below the ceilings
agreed in 1999 at the Berlin European Council, where it was also
agreed that the bulk of these additional costs will be included
in the calculation of the UK's abatement.
10.6 The Minister says that the European Parliament is
expected to give its assent on 9 April.[18]
On 14/15 April, the General Affairs and External Relations Council
will formally adopt a Decision to admit the candidates. The Accession
Treaty will be signed in Athens on 16 April. All 25 parties to
the Treaty will then be required to ratify it before it enters
into force on 1 May 2004.
10.7 The Minister says that the Government will deposit
the Accession Treaty in Parliament as a Command Paper, accompanied
by an Explanatory Memorandum. It will also introduce a Bill during
the current parliamentary session to give effect to the Treaty
in UK law.
Conclusion
10.8 We thank the Minister for setting out the procedures.
We assume that the draft Decision which is expected to be put
to the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 14/15
April will not be issued before the assent of the European Parliament
has been given. As the Committee will not meet between 9 and 14
April, we ask the Minister to inform us as soon as possible of
the expected content of this Decision, particularly if it is likely
to be anything more than a formality. We would hope to consider
his letter or Explanatory Memorandum before or on 9 April.
10.9 We now clear this document.
18 Under
Article 49 EU, the European Parliament shall act by an absolute
majority of its component members. Back
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