Accession treaties signed in solemn ceremony
On April 16 the heads of state and government of the fifteen member countries and those of the ten candidate countries
sealed the biggest enlargement ever seen in the history of the EU with the signing of accession treaties in a solemn
ceremony held at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, the historical cradle of democracy.
In a statement made in the context of the signing ceremony Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said: "I am the head of
government of a country that started the Second World War and, as such, was responsible for creating the underlying
causes of the division of Europe. But it is also a country that suffered enormously as a consequence of the war, since
it too was divided. Perhaps people can understand that after having overcome the division of Germany we Germans are
very, very happy that now the division of Europe has been definitively overcome."
This historical event is based on the definitive decision on enlargement taken at a summit in Copenhagen in December
2002. After more than ten years of accession negotiations the EU member states and the candidate countries agreed on a
financial package for the first few years of enlargement, successfully concluding a key area of negotiation. The ten
acceding countries are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and
Cyprus. They will be able to accede to the EU on May 1, 2004 provided they have ratified their accession treaties by
then. Malta, Slovenia, and Hungary have already done so with referendums. The treaties also have to be approved by the
parliaments of the current EU countries.
The three further candidate countries, i.e. Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, were also involved in the ceremonies. The
Greek Presidency hosted a conference on Europe on Thursday, April 17, that was attended by the heads of state and
government of the twenty-five member and acceding countries, those of the remaining three candidate countries, as well
as by the heads of state and government of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro, Norway,
and Iceland. Their discussions were focused on the new regional situation and the friendly and beneficial relations they
want to develop with their neighbors when the European Union has new borders.
Fischer after the consultations in the European Convention: "There were twenty-five of us sitting there..."
Before the signing ceremony the EU heads of state and government met with the President of the European Convention,
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The European Convention was created so that the enlargement of the EU can be followed by a deeper level of cooperation
among twenty-five members. Its purpose is to formulate proposals on the decision-making responsibilities EU institutions
are to have in an enlarged Union as well as to draft a European constitution.
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who represented the German government in the Convention, referred to the meeting as
"historical", given that it was also attended by the acceding countries. Fischer: "There were twenty-five of us sitting
there.."
Fischer was optimistic about the success of a European constitution. In reference to the proposals being formulated on
the responsibilities of European institutions he remarked that "the differences that still exist can all be bridged". He
said a draft treaty that everyone will be able to agree to will be completed before the Thessalonica European Council in
June, adding that a good compromise is being worked on that will turn an enlarged Union into a Union that is capable of
action.
Early this year Germany and France submitted a joint proposal aimed at achieving an even distribution of power between
the European Council, the European Commission, and the European Parliament. The European Council is to have longer-term
presidencies such as is the case with the European Commission. At present the Council presidency is held by all the
member countries on a rotational basis for terms of six months each. Germany and France also proposed creating the
office of a European foreign minister.
The smaller EU countries take a skeptical view of this proposal. They want the European Commission to continue to be the
sole executive government institution in the EU.
EU and UN roles in post-war Iraq
The Athens summit issued a statement on Iraq urging a central role for the United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq:
"The UN must play a central role including in the process leading towards self-government for the Iraqi people,
utilizing its unique capacity and experience in post-conflict nation building."
The statement reaffirmed that the EU is committed to playing a significant role in the political and economic
reconstruction of the country. It also noted that at this stage "the coalition has the responsibility to ensure a secure
environment, including for the provision of humanitarian assistance, in particular urgent medical relief, and the
protection of the cultural heritage and museums."
The statement on Iraq was signed by the fifteen EU member countries, the ten acceding countries, as well as by Turkey
and Russia.
Kofi Annan had bilateral meetings with a number of EU heads of state and government, including Chancellor Schröder, to
discuss the role to be played by the United Nations in post-war Iraq. Schröder and Annan both expressed satisfaction
with the results of their meeting. Schröder said there had been "a large measure of agreement" and that there had been
three main talking points with regard to Iraq.
He noted that there is a need first of all to get humanitarian assistance to the people as quickly as possible and that
this should be done on the basis of UN resolutions. He said Germany had pledged financial assistance and that it could
also be of assistance in providing medical care, adding that it would be possible, for instance, to fly severely injured
children to Germany for treatment.
Secondly, there is a need to restore law and order in Iraq. For a transitional period this will be the job of the
coalition forces, Schröder said.
The third point concerned the post-war order in Iraq, i.e. the process of rebuilding the country both physically and in
terms of the hearts and minds of the people. It is felt that this process should take place under UN leadership. What
this will mean in specific terms for the individual players will have to be clarified in negotiations between the
governments of the coalition countries and the United Nations. Schröder said it was self-evident that the United Nations
should play a central role in the post-war situation.
The war in Iraq was a focus of discussions at the spring summit held in Brussels in March. There the heads of state and
government issued a joint statement on Iraq in which they underscored the need to prevent a humanitarian disaster.