Statement by Mr Kristian Vigenin on the report of Ms. Maria Elena KOPPA (S&D, Greece) on “Enlargement: policies, criteria and the EU’s strategic interests”
Thank you President,
Thank you Mr. Commissioner.
Colleagues,
This is really an excellent report. We’ve discussed that a number of times in the Foreign affairs committee, with colleagues from MSs, with colleagues from enlargement countries, and I think we have produced a really remarkable result and I congratulate Ms. KOPPA for all the work she has done.
The report has all the achievements and the shortcomings of the Enlargement process, and there is also the assessment and a number of recommendations how we should go on.
Enlargement however is not a technical process, we often forget this. This is a very political process. I must say that Mr. Fule, our Commissioner on Enlargement made history last 3 years, making this process credible enough, and carrying all the time the stick and the carrot hoping to unlock and unblock – to unlock internal political situations, and to unblock bilateral issues. All this must be very irritating sometimes. At least for me it is to see when countries or political parties do not see the bigger goal, the bigger idea behind the process.
You have invented the Positive agenda on Turkey, the High-level accession dialogue with Macedonia, I wonder what will be the next bright idea that you’ll find just to keep the process going on while countries block each other.
And looking at the technicalities we sometimes forget the dream about United Europe, we forget about the great ideas of peace, solidarity, mutual support, cooperation and dialogue, and we talk only about criteria, requirements, benchmarks, indicators, roadmaps… Well, that´s nice, but let’s talk also about WHY the EU was born, WHY the unification, and I call it unification not enlargement, in 2004 and 2007 has happened and took place, and WHY this cannot be completed without the Western Balkans.
I would really like to call on the Council, particularly, but also the Commission and Parliament to make sure that in the next 7-years period there will be enough financing for the Enlargement process, that we make sure that this process can continue successfully, and we do not fight for one or another word in the Trialogue which is in front of us and tacking place right now, but we think about the big idea and make compromises for the future of our Europe.
Thank you.
Strasbourg, 21 November 2012