A4-0428/98

Resolution on Romania's application for membership of the European Union, with a view to the European Council to be held in Vienna (11-12 December 1998)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Romania's application for membership of the European Union, submitted on 22 June 1995,

- having regard to the opinion of the Commission on that application COM(97)2003 - C4-0375/97,

- having regard to its resolution of 4 December 1997 on the Commission communication 'Agenda 2000 - For a stronger and wider Europe' (COM(97)2000 - C4-0371/97) ((OJ C 388, 22.12.1997, p. 17.)), its opinion of 11 March 1998 on the proposal for a Council Regulation on assistance to the applicant countries in central and eastern Europe in the framework of the pre-accession strategy (COM(97)0634 - C4-0010/98 - 97/0351(CNS)) ((OJ C 104, 6.4.1998, p. 110.)) and its resolution of 11 March 1998 on the proposals for Council decisions on the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions contained in the accession partnerships (COM(98)0053 - C4-0130/98) ((OJ C 104, 6.4.1998, p. 113.)),

- having regard to the decisions of the Luxembourg European Council of 12 and 13 December 1997 and the Cardiff European Council of 15 and 16 June 1998,

- having regard to the reports submitted by the Commission on 4 November 1998,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy (A4-0428/98),

A. having regard to Romania's substantial efforts since the collapse of the dictatorship to establish the rule of law and respect for the individual and minorities, but aware of the amount that still has to be done,

B. noting with concern the findings in the Commission¨s report of 4 November 1998 that the integration and treatment of the Roma community continues to present a serious challenge,

C. noting that in no sphere of public life should sexual orientation be a reason for persecution or discrimination,

D. having regard to the efforts it has made to establish the conditions for a market economy,

E. having regard to the measures it has already taken to adopt parts of the 'acquis communautaire',

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F. having regard however to the fact that since 1997 macro-economic imbalances have worsened and GNP is falling,

G. whereas this situation is the outcome of certain action taken, for example to curb inflation, but is also due to the inadequacies of the economic reform, which has not been conducted with the necessary resolution,

H. whereas Romania has achieved results in the study and application of minority policies, which might be of great importance for other states seeking membership of the EU,

1. Stresses the need for the advancing accession process to cover all countries with which the European Union has a Europe Agreement; reiterates its firm conviction that there should be no closed groups of accession candidates; stresses that the opportunity for a smooth transition to the phase of intensive negotiations should remain open at all times;

2. Believes that the gradual integration of the candidate countries into the European Union will substantially contribute to security in Europe;

3. Believes, as does the Commission, that it would be premature to open accession negotiations with Romania in 1999, although there can be no doubt about its aspiration to become part of the European Union;

4. Hopes that Romania, which in general meets the political criteria laid down in Copenhagen, will remedy the outstanding shortcomings concerning human rights, the protection of children, judicial control over the police, the freedom of the press, prison conditions, the situation of the Roma and the campaign against corruption;

5. Calls upon the Romanian political forces to take the responsibility to ensure that the necessary reforms be properly put in place;

6. Encourages Romania, which is still a long way from meeting the Copenhagen economic criteria, to press on with the vital reforms, in particular the privatisation process, the reform of the banking system, the restructuring of the large State undertakings and the consolidation of a legal framework capable of attracting foreign investment, which will enable accession negotiations finally to begin;

7. Believes also that there must be a process for modernising Romanian agriculture, making it more competitive and adapting it to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy;

8. Draws Romania's attention to the need for an in-depth reform of its administration if these reforms are to be successfully carried out;

9. Calls on the European Union to approach the international financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank to elicit their support for the Romanian Government's reform programme;

10. Urges the European Union and Romania to make full use of the existing instruments, in particular the European Agreement and the accession partnership, to expand the cooperation between them with a view to Romania's accession to the European Union;

11. Calls for the European Conference to be the means by which the Union and Romania align their respective foreign and security policies and reach a satisfactory solution to the outstanding questions in respect of justice and home affairs, such as the removal of visa requirements for Romanian nationals travelling to European Union countries, provided that Romania establishes a strict emigration control policy;

12. Acknowledges Romania's efforts concerning the return of confiscated or expropriated property but does not consider them to be sufficient, and calls on the Romanian Government and Parliament to amend the relevant laws, Nos 18/91 and 112/95, to provide a final and fair solution which will ensure the return in full (in integrum) of the property concerned, or if that is impossible, the payment of fair compensation, while allowing recourse to the courts for those affected by that solution;

13. Calls for the government to annul all legislation giving rise to prosecution or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation;

14. Proposes the establishment in Romania of a European Research Facility at university level on minority policies in Central and Eastern Europe, to benefit from the specific knowledge Romania has acquired in recent years; suggests that this Facility collaborate with the Racism and Xenophobia Monitoring Centre in Vienna and the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages in Dublin;

15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the European Council, the parliaments of the Member States and the Romanian Government and Parliament.

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