Madam President, Mr President-in-Office, I should like to begin by congratulating the Prime Minister and his colleagues on a successful presidency. It has been a first presidency for Sweden, and I believe both your government and state can feel a justifiable pride in a job well done. Of all the jobs well done, the one my group applauds most loudly is the clear-sighted, determined commitment which you brought to the enlargement question from Day One of your presidency. It has shone through the presidency, not just since Göteborg, but as an appetite to achieve right from the beginning. That determination has been handsomely rewarded. I know it was a delicate issue. But perhaps the shock Irish referendum result helped the politics of clarification, which I welcome. It is a very important message to the applicant states to say that we want to resolve this issue as soon as we can. The commitment to try to ensure that the first wave can participate in the next European elections as Member States is an important clarification and a very substantial achievement of your presidency. I congratulate you on it. It is also very important to acknowledge the progress under your presidency for the second wave of applicant states, the Helsinki states – again a wonderful tribute to your focus and determination. I would urge the Belgian presidency and those that follow to maintain that pace, focus and commitment. You are right, Mr Prime Minister, that we have now got to do some of our homework as well. Not all the transitional issues are just for the applicants, particularly in agriculture, regional policy and cohesion policy. Now we have to start biting some bullets; we have to start focusing on the issues. I hope that the Irish referendum will not get in the way of this process. We have until the end of 2002 for Nice to be ratified. It is a matter for the Irish administration to decide how to proceed. But in the interim this should not be used as a reason for taking our foot off the accelerator on this important issue. On a matter which has drawn a number of comments, my group fully supports, recognises and celebrates the rights of citizens in a free society to demonstrate. But clearly there were, in Göteborg, anarchic groups whose essential, primary purpose was to undermine democracy itself. You, Mr Prime Minister, more than any of your predecessors at any of these international meetings, went out of your way to meet people, to conciliate, to provide people with places to stay. For the large majority the issue was peaceful and proper demonstration. My group would like to extend its sympathy to the citizens of Göteborg on a very difficult moment in a wonderful host city. I have one or two other brief comments. On Macedonia, the presidency, along with Commissioner Patten, Mrs Lindh and Javier Solana have proved the value of developing an embryonic common foreign and security policy. The peace remains delicate. There is a difficult balance between peace and civil war, but the intensity of the European effort and the unity of the European effort is in marked contrast to the disunity of ten years ago. That is not just European progress but a measure of significant progress on the ground. Finally, regarding company law on mergers and takeovers, the presidency has done a wonderful job in fashioning a difficult compromise. I would appeal to Members of this House not to pull the plug on an important measure of economic reform. (Applause)

Political group: ELDR