Mr President, Mr President-in-Office, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, our group, that of the , supports the general directions taken both by the President-in-Office of the Council and by Commissioner Verheugen. In saying, at the end of his speech, that Parliament's support is indispensable, the Commissioner was expressing a truth. We, too, hope that the whole process in which we find ourselves will lead to an outcome that will enable the Council, the Commission, and Parliament to declare themselves satisfied with it and to adopt what the negotiations have produced. Like Commissioner Verheugen, the President-in-Office of the Council again put the emphasis on timing. It was indeed our Group that proposed that the negotiations should be conducted in such a way that the first countries to join the EU should be able to take part in the 2004 European elections. This makes it necessary that we should complete negotiations by the end of this year and by the beginning of 2003 at the latest. I hope that this will be possible under the Danish Presidency, for the completion of the negotiations would complete the cycle that began when the Copenhagen criteria were laid down ten years ago. It is also beautifully symbolic in a particular way that the Presidency at this important stage is held by Spain, a country of the South, thus focusing attention on the significance of the centre of Europe and expressing our common political intention that EU enlargement – which of course involves Cyprus and Malta, but mainly the central European states – should not be about the interests of a few Member States of the European Union, but about our common interest, that of all the Member States of the European Union. There is of course still much work to be done, as we all know. We should not now give any country a guarantee and tell them that they are in whatever happens; rather, every country must make the effort so that we can achieve satisfactory outcomes at the end of the day. We know that many chapters still have to be negotiated on. Whilst hoping for results on them, we also say – and, whilst not being an expert on agriculture myself, I do say this for my own part also – that our farmers have, in the European Union, Agenda 2000 to protect their legitimate expectations, and we see the mid-term review, to be presented by Commissioner Fischler, not as being about various things that actually have nothing to do with enlargement, but we want to safeguard our farmers' confidence as well. Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office, Kaliningrad has been mentioned, and, Mr Verheugen, I emphatically support what you said. I recently spoke with the Mayor of Pillau, which is in the Western part of the Kaliningrad region, where there is very great interest in the possibility of direct contact with the Commission in Brussels and a concern that not everything should be done via Moscow, which is a long way away. Perhaps, in our discussions with Russia, we might also ensure that there are immediate and direct links between Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg, and the European Union and its Member States. I also wish to mention the Ukraine, the western part of which, as we know, was formerly eastern Poland. However much we, naturally, have to guarantee border security – and we must make every effort to ensure that the Mafia, drug trafficking and serious crime cannot get into the European Union across Poland's eastern border – we should, at the same time, be flexible in order that the people there who have ties across the border, who live in Western Ukraine and are of Polish origin, may also have flexible solutions in their dealings with Poland, so that no new Iron Curtain may descend there to separate people from each other. I believe that this will be of immense significance as regards our relations with the Ukraine. I believe that we – Council, Commission and Parliament – have a common task, in that we need to work much harder at persuading people, not only in the candidate countries but also in the European Union, that the membership of the central European countries and also Malta and Cyprus is a massive opportunity for the European Union – and particularly for the countries of central Europe – to establish stability on our continent. It is, though, also an economic opportunity, as trade between the European Union and the central European states has in the meantime almost equalled in scale our trade with the United States of America. This unleashes a dynamic that is to the benefit of all of us. If, when considering enlargement, we cast our eyes eastwards in particular, it is very important that we, especially in days like these – so we thank you again, Mr President, for your initiative on the Middle East – also look southwards, to the Mediterranean region. Eastward enlargement enjoys equal priority with our relations with the Mediterranean countries and with the Arab and Islamic world. If, as a European Union, we act with determination, courage and an eye to the future, then, I believe, we will also be able to accomplish a great work for peace and contribute to stability in our environment, both to the East and South of the European Union. I believe this to be the common task of the Council, the Commission and Parliament. If we, together, bring that to pass, you, in the Commission and in the Council, will of course have our unqualified support. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE