15th EPP Congress
Our future: A strong Europe
17 - 18 October 2002
Estoril - Portugal

Resolution adopted by the 15th EPP Congress
The enlargement of the European Union


The European People's Party

• having regard to the recent Reports of the European Commission on the accession of new Member States to the European Union
  
• having regard to the various European Parliament and EPP Resolutions on enlargement
  

A) Whereas the European Commission proposes that the Copenhagen Summit should decide on the Accession of ten new countries to the European Union and the objective date of 2007 for a further two applicants

B) Whereas the Candidate States have made enormous efforts to meet the criteria for the accession to the European Union

The European People’s Party:

• supports the recommendations made by the European Commission on 9 October 2002
  
• welcomes the new mechanism introduced by the European Commission to monitor the implementation of the "acquis communautaire" in the new Member States also after their Accession to the Union especially by strengthening the administrative and judicial capacities
  
• calls on the Commission, the Member States and Applicant States to find sincere compromises including those covering the financial and agricultural domains.
  
• is of the opinion that no EU citizen can be discriminated in any current or future Member State.
  
• calls on the Constitutional Convention to prepare a Constitution for a Strong Europe by June 2003 and on the Member States to conclude the “Constitutional Treaty of Rome” in December 2003.