No extra time for EU candidates

STRASBOURG

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said last week that countries seeking entry into the European Union would have to meet membership criteria by the cut-off date of December 2002 to be allowed to join the bloc in 2004.

Rasmussen, whose country took over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU from Spain on July 1, told European parliamentarians that no country that was ready in time "would have to wait around for the others".

"If only some of the 10 candidates are ready in December, we will conclude negotiations with them" at the EU summit in Copenhagen in December, he said.

The EU aims to conclude negotiations with Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Malta and Cyprus by the end of the year.

Previously, EU heads had always said that all candidate countries would be judged on their respective merits although they had been notably reticent over what would apply in the case of those failing to meet the criteria by December.

However, Rasmussen made it clear there was no question that the overall process of enlargement should be delayed.

"If we do not seize the opportunity which is being offered us, the process of enlargement risks being significantly delayed," he said.

Moreover, according to Rasmussen, "experience showed the Union worked best when it dealt with one large problem at the same time."

Questioned over the issue of the divided island of Cyprus, Rasmussen said that if talks leading to a unified island were to succeed that would constitute an "advantage" for Cyprus although their success should not be regarded as a "condition" for membership.

Put another way, the EU was prepared to accept the Greek part of the island into membership with which it had already concluded negotiations on the majority of conditions for membership.

In perhaps a sign that EU enlargement would not be a totally smooth ride, Rasmussen told journalists in Strasbourg to reserve hotel rooms in Copenhagen for four days during the December summit — in spite of the fact the meeting has been officially scheduled for only half that length.