Key Notes

A wider Europe

Further to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Wider Europe - Neighbourhood: A New Framework for Relations with our Eastern and Southern Neighbours', Parliament dealt with the topic 'A wider Europe' in its own report and sketched out a clear profile to which the EPP-ED Group made a major contribution.

In this regard, it was first necessary to ensure that as from 1 May 2004 the enlarged European Union did not cut itself off from the east and the south and, rather, that it develop a strategy for relations with its eastern and southern neighbours, which would help it to share and extend a common area of peace, stability, security, democracy and prosperity.

In the EPP-ED Group's view, consideration should be given to the fact that different conditions in the EU's eastern and southern neighbouring countries must lead to different strategic approaches. Even in the countries of our eastern neighbours, which have many common structural problems to overcome, a distinction should be made and a separate analysis carried out on a country-by-country basis in order to be able to address the specific problems and situations of these countries in an appropriate manner. The problems range from the democratic deficit in Belarus to the instability of the Republic of Moldova, and the sometimes belligerent regional conflicts in Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and, in particular, Chechnya.

The EPP-ED Group, with the support of the entire European Parliament, is thus calling for the new borders of the enlarged EU to be regarded as a welcome opportunity to develop an inclusive and effective concept of neighbourhood with those states and regions which are not involved in the forthcoming enlargement.

We must therefore develop a coherent system of relations between the 25 countries of the enlarged Union, those countries with which various agreements on future accession have already been concluded, those whose accession to the Union is not yet certain, and all the other neighbours of the EU. In so doing, we must ensure that this system is clearly based on common principles such as human rights, democracy and the rule of law and that special attention is paid to different sub-regional conditions. In practice, this means that with regard to the south, the focus should be on improving sub-regional and regional cooperation, while with regard to the neighbouring countries in the east, a bilateral approach would be more appropriate, as regional cooperation in those areas is highly unlikely in view of the substantial differences.

As far as Russia is concerned, the EPP-ED Group takes the view that the 'Wider Europe - Neighbourhood' policy should be used as a key instrument for further developing the partnership between the EU and Russia. However, the group is convinced that for reasons relating to Russia's size, its resources and its ambitions, relations between the EU and Russia will continue to be of great importance also outside the context of the neighbourhood policy. It should, however, be firmly stressed that the present situation in Chechnya and the democratic situation in Russia in general, continue to stand in the way of the full fruition of the partnership.

With regard to Belarus – another important new neighbour – the EPP-ED Group has managed to secure a large majority in Parliament to ensure that the EU will not engage in any extensive cooperation with this country which is the only remaining dictatorship in Europe. Support for the creation of an open civil society and the development of an independent democratic opposition should instead be stepped up. To that end the Commission has been requested to draw up an appropriate action plan setting out the framework and prerequisites for a relationship between this country and the EU.

With regard to Ukraine, the group, and consequently Parliament, has reached the conclusion that on account of its size, geographical location and above all its deep historical, cultural, economic and other ties to central and western Europe, as well as to Russia, the country should be granted special status in the context of the 'Wider Europe - Neighbourhood' policy. The EPP-ED Group supports Ukraine's desire for EU integration and the fact that the Council and Commission are currently devoting their energies to drawing up an action plan for Ukraine. At the same time, however, there is some concern that further cooperation between Ukraine and the EU through the planned establishment of a common economic area with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan could be hampered. The group stresses that only a democratic and independent Ukraine, having developed an open society comparable to that of EU Member States both old and new, can decide on the final geopolitical alignment of the country. It is therefore absolutely essential that compliance with democratic principles and the rule of law be carefully monitored in the run-up to the presidential elections due to be held in 2004.

As far as the Mediterranean area is concerned, the EPP-ED Group considers it necessary, with the support of a broad majority in Parliament, to reorganise the present Euro-Mediterranean partnership by means of bilateral and multilateral sectoral measures and to incorporate it into the wider framework of the 'Wider Europe - Neighbourhood' policy. Priority should be given to enhancing sub-regional relations in the Maghreb and the Mashreq. The bilateral association agreements concluded with those countries should thus be further developed, with a view to achieving greater regional integration. In the entire area, a multilateral, coherent and effective Euro-Mediterranean partnership, as well as encompassing the socio-economic dimension, must also fully embrace the respect for and promotion of human rights, as well as education and the fight against exclusion and poverty. The common goal of the group and of Parliament in this regard is to convert the bilateral association agreements into multilateral agreements with all the partner states of the Barcelona Process.

Lastly, the EPP-ED Group points out that the development of the 'Wider Europe - Neighbourhood' policy should not diminish the status of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey as established candidate countries, nor that of the western Balkan countries as potential candidate countries. Nevertheless it recommends that regardless of the issue of its possible future membership, Turkey be included in the neighbourhood policy.


Andreas-Renatus Hartmann,
Luigi Mazza, Advisors