Resolution calls for enlargement by March 1, 2004

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has approved a motion for a resolution saying that enlargement should, at the latest, take place by March 1, 2004.

The motion was adopted by 54 votes to 2.

The date being proposed by the committee is the earliest date proposed so far. Various commission officials have repeatedly said accession countries should join before the elections for the European Parliament which take place in June 2004.

The draft resolution will be on the agenda of the special "enlargement" plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg later this month.

The resolution sets out general considerations for all the applicant states and looks at the outstanding issues facing each individual country.

MEPs are calling on the Copenhagen European Council to fix a date for the accession of the first 10 applicant countries at the start of 2004 or "not later than March 1, 2004".

The committee welcomes the progress made by the accession countries but also stresses that final efforts are still needed to bring about reforms, in particular the administrative and judicial implementation of the acquis, which it says "remains the biggest problem".

The resolution calls on the member states and the candidate countries to negotiate on agricultural issues in a spirit of flexibility and solidarity.

The foreign affairs committee backs the Commission's strategy of phasing in direct aid to farmers in the new member states and endorses the principle that the new countries should not become net contributors to the Community budget during the first few years after accession.

The committee stresses that priority must be given to fighting corruption and to reforming judicial systems in the candidate states and backs the principle of safeguard clauses which would be applied if serious problems arose in the implementation of judicial cooperation.

The resolution says that safeguard clauses should also be included on economic policy and calls on the Commission to lay down the arrangements for the application and the scope of these clauses as quickly as possible.

These clauses should be applied following a qualified majority decision in the Council and after receiving the assent of the European Parliament but also after prior consultation of the countries in question, the resolution says.

The committee also voices concern at the trafficking in women and children in certain applicant countries.

The resolution also stresses that the financial perspective of the EU needs to be adjusted as it was agreed under the assumption that only six new member states would join.