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Verbatim report of proceedings
Wednesday, 10 March 2004 - Strasbourg OJ edition

Enlargement / Candidate countries (continuation)
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  Souladakis (PSE), co-rapporteur. (EL) Mr President, my thanks first of all to the Commissioner and my congratulations on his excellent work.

When we arrived in the summer of 1999 at the start of our term of office, we arrived together with the Helsinki decision marking the unification of the procedure for integrating the new countries, the single wave. Today, as our term of office nears its end, this circle is being successfully closed and this is something which is very, very serious and important for the whole of Europe. The two months left are little time. Today we are exercising our criticism of the new countries as colleagues, not as observers and advisers. In this sense, I, as the official rapporteur for Lithuania, wish to confirm the important positive job which has been done in this country and helped it progress, so that in two months it will be in a position to become a fully fledged member of the European Union.

There are problems, as in all the new countries. However, serious problems have been resolved, such as, for example, the issue of Kaliningrad, relations with the Russian Federation, the problem of the nuclear power station in Ιgnalina and the problem of regional cooperation. What do we need to do? We need to support this effort. To support environmental issues, to support the strengthening of the trans-European networks in the field of energy and in the field of transport, so that these countries are integrated more fully into the European structures.

As I have another identity (I am from an island in the Mediterranean, Crete), it would be an oversight on my part if I failed to mention the integration of the European Union in the Mediterranean with Cyprus and Malta. This circle is closing and it is closing in an exceptional manner. I hope, on the basis of what the Commissioner said to us earlier, that the relevant position of the European Union is constant, so that when Cyprus becomes a member of the European Union and the Cypriot question has been resolved, which we hope it will, the acquis communautaire can be applied 100% to all policies in the whole of reunited Cyprus.

(Applause)

 
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