Activities of Maria Eleni KOPPA related to 2012/2025(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Enlargement: policies, criteria and the EU’s strategic interests (debate)
Enlargement: policies, criteria and the EU’s strategic interests (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on Enlargement: policies, criteria and the EU’s strategic interests PDF (208 KB) DOC (125 KB)
Amendments (20)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) (COM(2011)0838/4),
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas 20 years after the Copenhagen summit the moment has come for a general re-evaluation of the accession criteria, of the established procedures and of enlargement policy as a whole; whereas Parliament contributes to improving the transparency and accountability of enlargement and thereby increasing public support for this process;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas each country has to be judged on its own merits in fulfilling the same set of criteria; whereas the pace of the accession process should be dictated by effective compliance with the accession criteria, as well as fulfilment of the priorities of the European and Accession Partnership and the negotiating framework; whereas the degree of compliance with the requirements for membership has to be assessed in the most fair and transparent fashion;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas true reconciliation between different peoples and the establishment of good neighbourly relations between countries contribute substantially to a genuine European integration process, and are of key importance to the enlargement process; whereas a number of candidate and potential candidate countries continue to have unresolved issues with their neighbours; whereas these issues should be resolved prior to accession;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Strongly believes that enlargement needs to continue to be a credible policy; considers it, therefore, important for the EU to fulfil the promises alreadyand the candidate and potential candidate countries to respect the commitments made and to create the conditions for ensuring that future enlargements are successful;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the EU continues to be attractive, also because of its unique combination of economic dynamism with a social model, and regrets that this social dimension has been largely neglected in the enlargement process; invites the Commission to reflect on possible options, including developing a set of social criteriaespecially in the framework of Chapter 19 (Social Policy and Employment), to address this deficiency and foster positive social transformation in the future EU Member States; reminds that the acquis in the social field includes minimum standards in areas such as labour law, equal treatment of women and men, health and safety at work and anti- discrimination, and that the EU treaties confirm commitment to the European Social Charter of 1961 and the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers of 1989, while also the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights contains a number of fundamental social rights; stresses that failure to comply with the EU's common basic social standards constitutes a form of social dumping which is detrimental to European enterprises and workers; points out that social partners and in particular trade unions need targeted EU assistance in order to reinforce their capacities;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Is of the view that the set of accession criteria should be adequately translated into clear, specific and measurable objectives in the Instrument for Pre- accession Assistance (IPA) in order to clearly demonstrate the link between Union-funded policies in the enlargement countries and progress in meeting the general accession criteria;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that strict conditionality requires that the progress of a country is effectively assessed at every stage of the process, and that countries wishing to join the EU should proceed from one stage to the next only once all the conditions have been met at each stage; notes, however, certain tendencies to exaggeration, and recommends avoiding requiring of candidate and potential candidate countries higher standards than those applying in the EU; stresses the importance of defining more clearly the different stages and of setting transparent and fair benchmarks throughout the process;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to maintain and further develop a toolbox that draws on conditionality, and to intensify its monitoring of progress in the accession process, so as to ensure that candidate and potential candidate countries achieve a high degree of preparedness which will benefit both them and the EU;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Stresses that visa liberalisation is a good example of EU conditionality combining political and technical criteria with a desirable goal and tangible benefits; welcomes and supports, therefore, the efforts of the Commission and that of interested countries in this field;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Encourages greater participation by civil society and non-state actors in the accession process; stresses that civil society can work as an engine of approximation with the EU and create bottom-up pressure for the implementationadvancement of the European agenda; calls for additional financial support, inter alia via the Civil Society Facility, especially in order to enhance their capacities in monitoring the implementation of the acquis;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Strongly emphasises the need to enhance administrative capacities and human resources able to transpose, implement and enforce the acquis; takes the view that processes in the framework of enlargement should not be merely 'technical' and stresses the need to make the screening process more connected to the realities on the ground; calls, therefore, on the Commission to involve NGOs, trade unions and major stakeholders, as appropriate, in this exercise;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls for greater engagement of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in the enlargement process; highlights its role in transmitting good practices to candidate and potential candidate countries, as well as in rallying civil society behind the cause of European integration in the EU; supports the further strengthening of dialogue between civil society organisations from the EU and the enlargement countries and encourages greater cooperation among the EESC, the Commission and the European Parliament;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Recalls that achieving sustainable economic recovery is a major challenge for most enlargement countries and underlines the need to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy; calls for strengthening support to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), critical for socio-economic progress in all enlargement countries, and urges the Commission to insist for priority reforms that create a favourable regulatory environment for innovative and high- potential SMEs; stresses, at the same time, the need for continued attention to the issues of a growing informal sector, high unemployment and integration of most vulnerable people in society;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Reiterates its position that bilateral issues should not represent or be used as an obstacle in the accession process, butTakes the view that any acceding State should resolve its main internal and bilateral problems, particularly those concerning territorial issues, before it can join the Union; these issues should be addressed in a constructive spirit and as early as possible, taking account of the EU's overall interests and its values; stresses that the accession negotiations should not be used to pre-empt the final settlement of such issues, notwithstanding and the obligation to fully comply with the acquis and respect the principles on which the EU itself is founded;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Reiterates its position that bilateral issues should not represent or be used as an obstacle in the accession process, but should be addressed in a constructive spirit and as early as possible, taking account of the EU's overall interests and its values; stresses that the accession negotiations should not be used to pre-empt the final settlement of such issues, notwithstanding the obligation to fully comply with the acquis and respect the principles on which the EU itself is founded; highly recommends the resolution of major disputes with neighbours before the start of accession negotiations so that these negotiations are not negatively affected;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the EU to support efforts to resolve outstanding disputes, including border disputes, before accession; in line with the provisions of international law and the UN Charter, encourages all parties to disputes whose continuation is likely to endanger the preservation of international peace and security to engage constructively in their peaceful resolution and, if appropriate, in case of proven inability to reach a bilateral agreement, to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice or to commit themselves to a binding arbitration mechanism of their choice;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Highlights the need to identify synergies between joint bodies established under the Stabilisation and Association Agreements; proposes that joint meetings between Joint Parliamentary Committees and Civil Society Joint Consultative Committees – run by the EESC - be organised in the near future in order to reach out to a larger audience in the candidate countries;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Remains fully committed to the prospect of enlargement, and calls on the Member States to maintain the momentum of the enlargement process by reconfirming the European perspective of every candidate and potential candidate country, notwithstandingalongside with the requirement of strict compliance with the Copenhagen criteria; stresses its conviction that with the Lisbon Treaty the EU can both pursue its enlargement agenda and maintain the impetus of deeper integration;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that the global financial crisis and the difficulties in the eurozone have highlighted the interdependence of national economies, both within and beyond the EU; emphasises, therefore, the importance of further consolidating economic and financial stability and fostering growth, also in the candidate and potential candidate countries; in these difficult circumstances, stresses the need to provide adequate and better targeted pre-accession financial aid to candidate and potential candidate countries; welcomes the increase proposed by the CommissionCommission proposal for a new Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, which includes increased financial support for the financial perspective 2014- 2020; stresses, in this regard, the need to simplify and speed up procedures, as well as to strengthen the administrative capacity of the beneficiary countries, in order to ensure a high level of participation in EU programmes and to enhance absorption capacity; points out that a comprehensive position of the European Parliament on the IPA will be presented in the course of the ordinary legislative procedure, which applies to it;