A4-0154/99

Resolution on the Regular Report from the Commission on Hungary's progress towards accession (COM(98)0700 - C4-0113/99)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Hungary's application for membership of the European Union, tabled on 31 March 1994, pursuant to Article O of the EU Treaty,

- having regard to the opinion of the Commission on this application for membership (COM(97)2001 - C4-0373/97),

- having regard to the Regular Report presented by the Commission on 17 December 1998 (COM(98)0700 - C4-0113/99),

- having regard to the Composite Paper of the Commission of 17 December 1998 (COM(98)0712 - C4-0107/99),

- having regard to its resolution of 4 December 1997 on the communication of the Commission 'Agenda 2000 - for a stronger and wider Union¨ (COM(97)2000 - C4-0371/97) ((OJ C 388, 22.12.1997, p. 17. )), and its resolutions of 11 March 1998 ((OJ C 104, 6.4.1998, p. 110 and 113.)) 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) and 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),

- having regard to the decisions taken at the European Councils of Luxembourg (12 and 13 December 1997), Cardiff (15 and 16 June 1998) and Vienna (12 and 13 December 1998),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy (A4-0154/99),

A. whereas the Commission's progress report describes Hungary as a socially and politically stable country which has always displayed a commitment to reform and is making steady progress in developing a functioning market economy,

B. whereas Hungary is reported to have made a large effort to implement Community law, and whereas around 30 bills are due to be passed into law in the first half of 1999, dealing with the fields of customs, advertising, competition, insurance companies, municipal authorities, civil and labour law, farmland, copyright and statistics,

C. whereas the Hungarian economy has developed positively, 5% growth is forecast for 1999, more than 80% of Gross National Product is generated by the private sector, trade with the EU accounts for 71.9% of exports and 63.9% of imports, unemployment has fallen to just under 8%, and inflation has fallen from 20% to less than 10% between 1997 and 1999,

D. whereas in its budget for 1999 Hungary has earmarked substantial funding for improving the technical equipment used for border controls, thus making an important step towards the Schengen Agreement,

E. whereas the Hungarian Government intends to enact necessary provisions of environmental legislation only by the end of 2001, and possibly to apply for transitional periods because of difficulties in financing environmental investment,

F. whereas the change of government in May 1998 was carried out perfectly normally in the style of a traditional democracy,

G. having regard to the positive trend in Hungary's relations with its neighbours, which has been assisted, in particular, by the replacement of the Meciar Government in Slovakia, which has led to a series of bilateral agreements, and by the inclusion in the Romanian Government of the Hungarian minority party, which has taken responsibility for the Ministry for Minorities,

H. whereas Hungary became a member of NATO on 12 March 1999 and whereas its accession to NATO was endorsed by 85% of the people of Hungary in a referendum on 16 December 1997,

I. having regard to the Hungarian Government's intention of completing the accession negotiations by the end of 2001,

J. whereas, since the Commission opinion of 1997, the meetings of the EU-Hungary Joint Parliamentary Committee, and its recommendations to the Association Council, have done much to promote mutual understanding and continue to assist the pre-accession process,

1. Welcomes the rapid progress in screening the acquis communautaire and starting the negotiations;

2. Calls on the Commission and the Hungarian Government to counter the social costs associated with the process of economic and financial restructuring with enhanced social and economic accompanying measures, in order to permit balanced economic growth from a social point of view; supports the German Presidency proposal to extend the scope of the Phare programme to the social field;

3. Welcomes the substantial improvement in Hungary's relations with its neighbours, particularly Slovakia and Romania; notes with satisfaction that, since the Meciar Government lost the elections in Slovakia, binding agreements have been concluded there to protect the Hungarian minority, particularly in the fields of culture, education and use of language;

4. Considers that, with regard to the issue of the Roma, the Hungarian Government has made considerable efforts since 1997 to improve the quality of life of this Hungarian minority and has also drawn up an action plan to attain this objective, but that it does not have adequate funds available for this; notes that the autonomy elections in October 1998 resulted in Roma self-administration in 775 places and settlements, and that an interministerial commission was set up to deal with the problems of the Roma, in which the President of the Central Administration of the Roma participates and which is to prepare specific projects to integrate the Roma in a wide variety of fields;

5. Recognises Hungary's efforts to bring its legislation on organised crime into line with EU provisions and to adopt stronger measures to combat corruption and promote internal security;

6. Criticises the current exclusively project-based approach of the ISPA programme to the financing of major infrastructure projects and calls on the Commission to reform this structural policy instrument to make it fundamentally programme-based for the purpose of effectively adjusting regional imbalances;

7. Calls on the Commission suitably to involve decision-makers at regional and local level as well as the social partners and NGOs in the budgeting and management of PHARE and ISPA funds and in that way also to facilitate cross-border cooperation between PHARE countries;

8. Draws the Commission's attention to the fact that PHARE funds for cross-border cooperation will best promote models of development through partnership in the regions bordering on the EU if they are deployed in conjunction with INTERREG;

9. Draws attention to the remaining environmental problems, but welcomes the programme which has been presented for improving air and water quality and establishing refuse dumps in the next six years;

10. Reiterates its call in its resolution of 15 January 1999 on the new prospects of the European Union in exporting technology and services for the use of renewable energy ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 3.)) for more environmental technology transfer to Hungary and other Central and Eastern European countries, and recommends close cooperation with the international financial institutions to finance environmental investment;

11. Stresses the need, as with all the applicant countries, to strengthen anti-corruption measures;

12. Calls on the Commission and the Hungarian Government to take account of the social impact of the gradual liberalisation of the sale, purchase and taxability of real estate and, on the model of existing rules within the EU, to guarantee property title deeds which provide inter alia for a ban on selling or buying nature conservation areas and for freedom of access to, and a ban on privatisation of, recreation and tourist areas, and to make it possible for transitional provisions to be adopted which take account of inequalities of wealth regarding the acquisition of houses and land by non-residents;

13. Welcomes the fact that Hungary is already participating in the implementation of the CFSP by endorsing EU joint actions, common positions and statements, and expressly supports Hungary's intention of following up its accession to NATO with accession to WEU;

14. Considers that the government must continue the regular dialogue with the opposition and representatives of the two sides of industry in order to create a political climate favourable to Hungary's integration into the EU;

15. Advocates that representatives of the parliaments of the applicant countries be permitted, over and above the existing exchange of information and ideas in the joint parliamentary committees, to attend meetings of European Parliament committees as observers when matters relevant to accession are being dealt with;

16. Reiterates its belief that each applicant country should be judged on its merits and on its progress in the accession negotiations;

17. Calls on the Council and the Commission, in cooperation with the Hungarian Government, once screening has been completed, the negotiating platforms fully worked out, and the second regular report published in autumn 1999, to draw up a specific timetable for the accession negotiations and their possible completion;

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

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