A4-0149/99

Resolution on the Regular Report from the Commission on Estonia's progress towards accession (COM(98)0705 - C4-0110/99)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Estonia's application for membership of the European Union, tabled on 24 November 1995, pursuant to Article O of the EU Treaty,

- having regard to the opinion of the Commission on this application for membership (COM(97)2006 - C4-0378/97),

- having regard to the Regular Report of the Commission of 17 December 1998 (COM(98)0705 - C4-0110/99),

- 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 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 p. 113.)) 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 (A4-0149/99),

A. noting the stability of democratic institutions in Estonia,

B. whereas economic development has been impressive, stimulated by the economy's opening up to the outside world, but the banking sector is shaky and the stock exchange volatile and crisis-prone,

C. whereas the Russian economic and financial crisis has affected Estonia directly, with trade and transit trade severely hit, and indirectly through its effects on Estonia's other regional trading partners,

D. noting that problems of social cohesion are caused both by a certain lack of integration of Russian speakers and by the economic disparities between Tallinn and the rest of the country,

E. whereas there has been significant progress in taking over the acquis and the screening of the first chapters has proceeded smoothly, Estonia's administrative capacity will have to be strengthened to implement the acquis effectively, and later chapters for screening may well be more problematic,

F. whereas the Commission ought to increase its efforts in order to make sure that all the applicant countries take part on equal terms in the accession process even though this does not mean that all the applicant countries will become members of the EU at the same time,

G. whereas Estonia should also benefit from having the other two Baltic States included in the full negotiation process,

1. Notes that Estonia's bid to join the European Union now has the firm support of the majority of the country's political parties, economic operators and society in general, and stresses the need to maintain the momentum of the accession process if there is not to be a danger that this support may weaken;

2. Welcomes Estonia's abolition of the death penalty in March 1998, but calls for further improvements to be made in pre-trial detention and prison conditions;

3. Welcomes the amendments to the Citizenship Act adopted in December 1998, which brought Estonia's laws into compliance with OSCE standards, and notes the important contribution which the new citizenship law will make towards the further integration of Estonian and Russian speakers into this multicultural and multiethnic society;

4. Calls on the Commission and the Estonian 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;

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

6. Stresses the importance for the EU of the construction of secure external frontiers; notes in this context that the border treaty between Estonia and Russia was initialled in St Petersburg on 5 March 1999 and calls for both sides to proceed rapidly to sign and ratify it;

7. Calls on the Commission to fully promote Estonia's capacity to participate in the policy for the 'Northern Dimension¨, for example by helping to develop its transport, telecommunications and energy infrastructure;

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

9. Calls on the Council and the Commission, in cooperation with the Estonian 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;

10. 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;

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

15