GOETEBORG, June 16 (Hina) - South-East European countries have made encouraging progress on their path toward democracy, market economy and peaceful coexistence, reads a draft with conclusions of the Swedish presidency of the European
Union, adopted at a summit in Goeteborg.
GOETEBORG, June 16 (Hina) - South-East European countries have made
encouraging progress on their path toward democracy, market
economy and peaceful coexistence, reads a draft with conclusions of
the Swedish presidency of the European Union, adopted at a summit in
Goeteborg. #L#
According to the document, countries in the region have made
significant progress on their way toward democracy, market economy
and peaceful coexistence, in line with commitments taken over at
the Zagreb Summit, which has been confirmed with the conclusion of
Stabilisation and Association Agreements with Croatia and
Macedonia and the EC's intention to prepare negotiating guidelines
for the conclusion of such an agreement with Albania, reads the part
of the document which refers to five western Balkan countries
(Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Macedonia and
Albania).
The EU will continue supporting the efforts of the countries in the
region to join European integration processes. Those countries
must achieve more visible progress in the areas of minority rights,
refugee return, regional cooperation and cooperation in the field
of justice and internal affairs, reads the draft.
In an annex to the draft the EU gives a statement on the situation in
Macedonia, stressing the need to find a political solution to the
current crisis. The EU is committed to the inviolability of
internationally recognised borders in the region and the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Macedonia as a
multiethnic state, the statement reads.
The EU is ready to join efforts aimed at resolving current crises,
particularly in Macedonia and the Middle East, it says.
The EU believes it is necessary to start dialogue about all
questions, including the Macedonian constitution, and supports the
plan of Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski on the resolution of
the crisis.
The Goeteborg summit has seen progress in negotiations, the
adoption of a framework for a successful continuation of EU
enlargement and the opening of a debate on EU's future as well as an
agreement on a sustainable development strategy which, along with
economic reforms and social cohesion, also includes an ecological
dimension.
As regards the EU expansion to 12 candidate countries from Central
and East Europe, the process is irreversible, reads the draft.
If unobstructed progress in meeting the set criteria continues,
those countries could complete talks on EU membership until the end
of 2002. The aim is to enable them to participate in the 2004
elections for the EU parliament, reads the document.
Some of the leading candidates for EU membership have made
impressive progress and closed more than two thirds of negotiating
chapters, reads the document with the conclusions of the EU summit
in Goeteborg.
(hina) rml