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The Key to Understanding EU Enlargement

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Subido el 20 de julio de 2007 por EducaMadrid

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The Key to Understanding EU Enlargement

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On May 1, 2004, the European Union grew from 15 members to 25. This was an historic enlargement 00:00:00
which reunited the continent after decades of division by an Iron Curtain, and proved 00:00:24
the appeal of the Union to all European countries who were not yet members. 00:00:29
Shortly after the end of the Second World War, Europe found itself split in two. In 00:00:36
1957, six countries, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg founded 00:00:41
the European Economic Community. In 1973, Great Britain, Denmark and Ireland joined 00:00:47
them. In 1981, it was the turn of Greece. Then, in 1986, Spain and Portugal. 00:00:54
Three years later, in 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. In Europe, this provoked a chain reaction 00:01:06
which would give a new meaning to EU enlargement. By 1990, Germany was reunified. In 1995, 00:01:12
the Union welcomed Sweden, Finland and Austria. In 2004, eight Central and Eastern European 00:01:21
countries, plus Malta and Cyprus, made up the fifth wave of enlargement. 00:01:28
The European Union has become the largest internal market in the world. It has more 00:01:34
than 450 million inhabitants, spread across nearly 4 million square kilometres. Today, 00:01:38
new countries are in the starting blocks preparing to join. Two of them are Eastern European 00:01:44
nations who were not ready in 2004. Romania and Bulgaria are due to join in 2007, or at 00:01:50
the latest in 2008. Membership negotiations started at the end of 2005 with two other 00:01:57
candidates, Croatia and Turkey. Finally, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is applied 00:02:03
to join. On December 17, 2005, EU heads of state and government granted candidate status. 00:02:09
The Treaty on the European Union defines, in fact, the point of departure of policy 00:02:20
of enlargement. Article 49 of the Treaty states that any European state which respects and 00:02:27
lives according to the European values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law 00:02:37
may apply to join the European Union. Meeting in Denmark in 1993, the member states came 00:02:43
up with a list of criteria called the Copenhagen Criteria. They have to be met if a country 00:02:50
is to become a member of the EU. The first criteria are political ones. The candidate 00:02:55
country must have stable institutions which guarantee true democracy. Torture and the 00:03:02
death penalty must be abolished. Human rights must be protected, as must minorities. The 00:03:07
member states and the European Parliament are particularly vigilant in these areas. 00:03:15
Other criteria are economic. The candidate must have a market economy which works and 00:03:20
which would be capable of being competitive once inside the Union. And the final criteria, 00:03:25
by the date of accession, the country must have integrated the acquis communautaire. 00:03:33
That's the total package of European legislation established by the Union since its creation. 00:03:38
It's made up of 35 chapters. One chapter covers agriculture. The candidate must establish 00:03:43
structures which would be capable of applying the common agricultural policy. Another chapter 00:03:50
concerns food safety. For example, meat must be traceable in line with European norms. 00:03:56
The environment is another important element of the acquis. The treatment of waste water 00:04:07
must meet the directives adopted by the member states. As a final example, candidate countries 00:04:12
must improve border controls if free circulation is to work. They must combat illegal immigration 00:04:19
and organized crime. 00:04:26
The Copenhagen criteria proved their efficiency in 2004 with the seamless integration of ten 00:04:37
new countries. From now on, they must fulfill the same obligations as the other members. 00:04:42
In 2004, they experienced economic growth which was twice the European average. The 00:04:47
EU co-finances their regional and social development and quality of life is improving. The ten countries 00:04:53
are now reaping the benefits of the efforts made during the crucial years as they prepare 00:04:59
for accession. In 1963, Turkey signed an association agreement with the EEC. And in 1995, it signed 00:05:03
a customs union with the Europeans. 00:05:12
Today, other countries such as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have started 00:05:16
down the same road. To prepare for membership, potential candidates in the Balkans first 00:05:22
have to sign stabilization and association agreements. One example of assistance given 00:05:28
by the EU as part of the pre-accession policy is this Austrian judge who has come to Skopje 00:05:34
to help her colleagues get a better grasp of European law. The prospect of one day belonging 00:05:40
to the union is essential to maintain stability and peace in the Balkans. 00:05:45
Thank you very much. 00:05:51
Croatia officially applied for membership in 2003 when Greece held the presidency of 00:05:53
the European Union. Treaties require that the presidency subsequently ask the Commission 00:05:58
for its opinion. 00:06:03
The opinion of the Commission is very important because it gives the Commission's view as 00:06:05
regards if a country is ready or one day ready to start the accession negotiations. 00:06:13
There has to be a positive opinion usually in order for the member states to take a positive 00:06:21
decision on starting the negotiations with a candidate country or with a country. Therefore, 00:06:30
it is a very important analytical document which includes a recommendation. Then it is 00:06:37
up to the EU member states to take the decision on the matter. 00:06:44
The Commission's advice has always been followed by the member states, with one exception. 00:06:49
In 1977, Greece's application was approved despite the Commission's recommendation of 00:06:54
a supplementary five-year transition period. 00:06:59
Meeting in Council, the member states require a unanimous decision to approve an application. 00:07:04
Turkey officially became a candidate in 1999 in Helsinki. 00:07:12
The Union can subsequently attach conditions to the start of accession negotiations. For 00:07:19
example, Zagreb must collaborate with the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, 00:07:24
which is pursuing war criminals in ex-Yugoslavia. The prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, confirmed 00:07:28
in October 2005 that Croatia was cooperating fully. Negotiations could begin. 00:07:34
Negotiations of accession are a misleading term. Why? Because we negotiate very little. 00:07:42
From the moment a country has chosen to become a member of the European Union, to apply 00:07:54
for candidacy, it is obvious that it is asking to join a club. This club, like any club, 00:08:01
has rules. So the rules must be accepted and adopted. 00:08:09
On October 3, 2005, the Turkish Foreign Minister came to Luxembourg to officially open his 00:08:16
country's accession negotiations. Turkey will discuss with the Union how it will apply 00:08:21
the 35 chapters of the AGI. Croatia will have to do the same. As any enlargement is preceded 00:08:27
by negotiations, the Union has learned lessons from the past. As a result, two new elements 00:08:34
will apply to Ankara and Zagreb. 00:08:41
Firstly, the Copenhagen political criteria, which include protection of minorities, have 00:08:45
been integrated into Article 6 of the Treaty of Amsterdam and are now part of the AGI Communitaire. 00:08:50
As a result, they are the subject of a chapter in the negotiations called Justice and Fundamental 00:08:58
Rights. 00:09:02
The second new element is that the European Union attaches preconditions to the opening 00:09:24
of each chapter of negotiations. They are called benchmarks. Before opening the Customs 00:09:29
Union chapter, Turkey has to authorize ships from all member states to dock in its ports. 00:09:34
Once the framework of negotiations has been fixed, member states, the Commission and the 00:09:42
candidates begin a long discussion process. In the Directorate General for Enlargement, 00:09:46
Fabrizio Barbasso prepares to meet Turks and Croats for the screening, which is an in-depth 00:09:51
examination. 00:09:56
The first part is the explanation of the Community Law, which is done by the Commission's 00:09:58
experts. Then there is a second part. During this second part, each of the two delegations 00:10:04
of the two countries come to see us to explain to us what the state of their legislation 00:10:11
is in the field covered by Community Responsibility. And at the same time, they present to us their 00:10:16
concerns and the time they will need to align themselves with the Community Legislation. 00:10:23
After these meetings, which can last as long as a year, the Commission suggests a timetable 00:10:46
to the member states. It indicates which chapters can be opened first and which must 00:10:50
wait and for how long. It makes recommendations to the 25 and it's they who decide whether 00:10:55
a chapter can be opened or not. In line with the treaties, negotiations take place between 00:11:02
the 25 member states and the candidate country. Technically, Commission experts discuss with 00:11:09
the candidate and report progress to the member states. The latter have the last word in determining 00:11:14
the position of the Union. Unanimous agreement is required. The candidate countries nominate 00:11:19
a chief negotiator who will play the role of intermediary between the Europeans and 00:11:27
the national governments throughout the process. 00:11:31
The Commission's first application to the Turkish authorities is always represented here. 00:11:49
Therefore, we are the authority that is in constant contact with the Commission. At the same time, 00:12:09
we are the Turkish authority that delivers information and instructions from Ankara to the Commission. 00:12:17
Once the screening has been done, real negotiations begin, chapter by chapter. They can involve 00:12:27
some tough measures. For example, in Bulgaria, some installations at the nuclear power station 00:12:32
at Kozludi had to be shut down because they didn't meet safety standards. As part of 00:12:38
the energy chapter, the Union negotiated with Sofia for their closure in 2006. The Union 00:12:42
examines the country's plans and fixes a deadline for reforms on every chapter. On rare occasions, 00:12:49
it agrees limited transition periods which run beyond the accession date. 00:12:55
Membership is not automatic. It's an open process. Its outcome is determined by the 00:13:13
candidate's progress. In Turkey, the Union is particularly vigilant on reforms in the 00:13:30
administration, the judiciary, the police, and everything to do with human rights and 00:13:35
the protection of minorities. The 25 member states decide when a chapter can be closed. 00:13:40
But it's never final. For example, if a country reneges on its commitments, the chapter can 00:13:48
be reopened, automatically putting a break on negotiations. 00:13:53
The European Union has various programs to help candidate countries come up to scratch. 00:14:01
In Romania, for example, it finances the development of new packaging for cooked meats. While they 00:14:11
did not meet the norms, Romania couldn't export to other EU countries. The Union is 00:14:16
also helping to improve Romania's veterinary system to avoid the spread of mad cow disease. 00:14:24
In total, across the board, Bucharest could receive aid amounting to more than 1 billion 00:14:30
euros in 2006. The results of negotiations are included in an accession treaty. It's 00:14:34
presented to the European Parliament, and a majority of the elected representatives 00:14:42
of the people of Europe must adopt it. 00:14:46
In Athens in 2003, after a favourable vote by MEPs, heads of state and government signed 00:14:51
the treaty for the 10 new member states. But even after signature, the Commission verifies 00:14:56
that the candidate country is properly implementing the promised reforms. On October 20, 2005, 00:15:03
the enlargement commissioner presented a report to the European Parliament on the situation 00:15:10
in Romania and Bulgaria. If there are any severe deficiencies, accession can be delayed 00:15:14
or safeguard clauses imposed. 00:15:19
For instance, for Bulgaria and Romania, we have three different kinds of normal safeguard 00:15:22
clauses. One concerning economic development, one concerning the single market, and one 00:15:28
concerning justice and home affairs. If there are serious problems, serious shortcomings 00:15:36
in these areas, then we can propose that effectively we suspend the application of 00:15:43
EU legislation, which means that sectorally in that field the country is not a member 00:15:50
of the European Union. 00:15:54
The treaty signed by the heads of state and government must then be ratified by both the 00:15:59
member states and the candidate country. In May 2003, 90% of Lithuanians voted to join 00:16:02
the European Union. 00:16:10
Romanian and Bulgarian observers arrived at the European Parliament in September 2005. 00:16:16
There are as many of them as there will be MEPs from those two countries in future. On 00:16:22
the official accession date, representatives of the new member states will start work in 00:16:27
the community institutions. 00:16:31
State integration in the Union also means dialogue between people, and in particular 00:16:36
between young people. Through exchanges and meetings they can really get to know one another. 00:16:40
The relationships established in this way are a key element in drawing old and new member 00:16:49
states closer together. 00:16:54
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Idioma/s:
en
Niveles educativos:
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      • Nivel Intermedio
Autor/es:
The European Union
Subido por:
EducaMadrid
Licencia:
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
Visualizaciones:
1575
Fecha:
20 de julio de 2007 - 12:24
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
European Commission
Duración:
00′ 42″
Relación de aspecto:
4:3 Hasta 2009 fue el estándar utilizado en la televisión PAL; muchas pantallas de ordenador y televisores usan este estándar, erróneamente llamado cuadrado, cuando en la realidad es rectangular o wide.
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