Examination of Witnesses (Questions 80-91)
RT HON
JACK STRAW
MP, MR KIM
DARROCH AND
MR DAVID
FROST
25 MAY 2004
Q80 Mr Olner: Very quickly, the two candidates
which are next in line to accede to the European Union are Bulgaria
and Romania with Croatia hopefully not too far behind. Have they
all three got to be in as one block or could they go at different
speeds and come in at different times? More importantly, and I
will finish on this, Foreign Secretary, would Croatia's entry
give a very, very clear signal to the rest of the former Yugoslavia
that the European Union can embrace?
Mr Straw: Bulgaria and Romania
are, generally speaking, in conclusions of the European Council,
treated in the same sentence and the aim is to close the negotiations
with Bulgaria and Rumania this year and to welcome their accession
in January 2007. On the whole, they have been making similar,
not the same progress but in the end different judgments will
be made about each of them. Has Bulgaria met the requirements
and has Romania? There is the issue then of Turkey, of course.
Turkey is looking for a firm date for the start of negotiations,
with that firm date to be made by the December European Council
this year. It is our hope that such a date can be agreed.
Q81 Mr Olner: Croatia?
Mr Straw: Croatia, there has been
no date set.
Q82 Chairman: June?
Mr Darroch: Croatia, there should
be a decision in the June Council on their candidate status and
they will, as you say, be the second country, the former Yugoslavia,
after Slovenia to have joined or to be appearing to join the EU
and that is, of course, a signal to the remaining countries of
the Western Balkans, yes.
Q83 Mr Chidgey: Sticking with Croatia
and the Western Balkans, knowing as we do the political history
in those countries, Foreign Secretary, how confident are you that
in a reasonable time Croatia and the other Western Balkan countries
will be able to comply with the Copenhagen criteria on democracy
and human rights? I say that advisedly.
Mr Straw: One can generalise about
the Western Balkans because they share parts of a common history
but it is also quite dangerous to generalise about them, particularly
now, because they are each at rather different stages of economic
and, above all, political development. Slovenia is already in
but Slovenia has shown remarkable progress, it was always the
most prosperous part of the former Republic of Yugoslavia. It
was one of the countries which found it the easiest to satisfy
the Copenhagen criteria and everything else. Its GDP—the
figures I was looking at yesterday—I think is above that
of some existing Member States of the EU. That is at one end.
At the other end there are territories like, for example, Kosovo
and Serbia Montenegro which for different reasons are at a less
advanced stage in terms of any accession to the EU. Now encouraging
and supporting stability and progress in the Balkans is a very
important responsibility for the EU both in terms of concern for
human kind there but also because this is our backyard and we
know from our own history how conflict there can spread to conflict
across Europe so we remain very engaged with each of these countries.
Q84 Mr Chidgey: My main concern is that,
as you rightly say, the economic differences exist and they relate
to a degree to the ethnic tensions and which particular ethnic
group is superior at any particular time and has access to the
economic growth and development. How are we going to tackle this
within the EU and have a complete change of culture within these
countries?
Mr Straw: I think one of the remarkable
achievements of the European Union is the way that it has been
and continues to be an engine of cultural and political change
within accession countries. If you look at Eastern Europe and
if you look at the absence of institutional frameworks in most
of the former Soviet bloc countries and look at where most of
them have got to now it is quite remarkable. I am optimistic about
the power for example of the European Union and its existing Member
States to pull the Balkans up. That said, some of the areas within
the former Republic of Yugoslavia are in different stages of development.
I was talking to Lord Ashdown, Paddy Ashdown, who in my judgment
is doing an exceptional job in Bosnia-Herzegovina about his proposals
there. In Kosovo we know we have had setbacks recently and Kosovo's
final status has yet to be determined. They are at one end. Macedonia
is making progress and seems to have dealt with the trauma of
the accident leading to the death of President Trajkovski pretty
well and Serbia-Montenegro is another circumstance and then you
have Albania. Our job is to support them all.
Q85 Andrew Mackinlay: The partnership
agreement with Russia is up. There has been some alleged reluctance
with the Russian Federation to deal European Union wise. Could
you comment upon that and as we are pushed for time, Kaliningrad,
I think the Russian Federation have some grounds for disappointment
about the spirit with which previous agreements might not be being
delivered in the sense, for instance, I think there was a tension
there should be a dedicated rail line through to their Oblast
in Kaliningrad.
Mr Straw: The Russian Federation
I think has accepted that the European Union now is 25 countries
and its negotiations will be with 25 and not with any fewer.
Q86 Andrew Mackinlay: Indeed.
Mr Straw: No more than in the
Baltic states is some of the difficult history of the old Soviet
Union more obvious. Bear in mind that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
were not just part of, as it were, the wider Soviet bloc but they
were part, constitutionally, of the Soviet Union before, whatever
the history they are new states. That has caused some difficulties,
two of the three states have very substantial Russian minority
populations, I think you are familiar with the circumstances so
it causes problems. These problems can be resolved. Kaliningrad
we thought was going to be a really big problem and access to
it, so far there has been a relatively satisfactory outcome and
we just have to continue to work on this. The advantage of the
European Union is that we are able to ride above some of these
local tensions provided by some guidance to our colleagues in
those states.
Q87 Andrew Mackinlay: What about the
partnership agreement generally?
Mr Straw: Progress on the partnership
agreement?
Q88 Andrew Mackinlay: Yes.
Mr Straw: There is progress being
made. Since I am about to run out of time, I do not know whether
you want to add anything on this? We can send you a note.
Q89 Chairman: Could you send us a note
on that. Just one final question, Foreign Secretary, today's press
is full of the pressure from seven countries in favour of recognising
the Christian heritage of the Union in the preamble. One, what
is the British Government's attitude to this and, two, is it a
red line for these seven countries?
Mr Straw: You will have to ask
them, and many of the other countries have not been as helpful
as we have in publishing our negotiating position in advance.
There is probably as high a level of scrutiny of this draft constitutional
treaty here and of EU business as there is in any other Member
State and I am very pleased and proud to have made a contribution
to that level of scrutiny. I hope to see more scrutiny in the
future.
Q90 Chairman: Where do we stand?
Mr Straw: Where we stand is we
are happy with the preamble. When this was discussed yesterday
I said—and I think this has been reported in one or two
newspapers—that if there are proposals to include references
to Christianity as part of our heritage then there has to be included
in that text references to the other religions which have made
an historic contribution to our heritage and that includes Judaism
and Islam, if you bear in mind not just the recent history of
Europe but also the distant history of Europe. There are various
proposals going around, we will look at those. What I am concerned
about is to ensure that any text which we do put down is an inclusive
one and not seen as an exclusive one. Alongside that sentiment
from these countries there was also a pretty wide sentiment that
it would be unwise for this project to establish a more workable
constitutional treaty to come to grief on a preambular text which
has no legal status. I sort of sense in the room that much of
Europe's religious history has, I am afraid, been recorded in
conflict and we just need to bear that in mind.
Q91 Chairman: Foreign Secretary, some
at least of us are impressed by the way in which these various
clauses—passerelle and so on—are engrained on your
chest, and your colleagues. May I thank you very much indeed and
good luck in the future negotiations.
Mr Straw: Thank you very much.
No doubt I will be back.
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