European Parliament resolution on Estonia's membership application to the European Union and the state of negotiations (COM(1999) 504 - C5-0027/2000 - 1997/2177(COS))
Date: 2000-10-04
Institutions: Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: EU relations, Estonia, accession criteria, accession negotiations, accession to the European Union, economic situation, political situation

C 178/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.6.2001

Wednesday 4 October 2000

2. Estonia

A5-0238/2000

European Parliament resolution on Estonia’s membership application to the European Union and
the state of negotiations (COM(1999) 504 ( C5-0027/2000 ( 1997/2177(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to Estonia’s application for membership of
24 November 1995, pursuant to Article 49 of the TEU,

the European Union, submitted on

(cid:1) having regard to the opinion of the Commission on this application (COM(1997) 2006 (cid:1) C4-0378/

1997),

(cid:1) having regard to the 1999 Regular Report on Estonia’s progress towards accession (COM(1999) 504
(cid:1) C5-0027/2000) and to the 1999 Composite Paper of the Commission (COM(1999) 500 (cid:1)
C5-0341/2000),

(cid:1) having regard to the decisions taken by the European Council, notably in Copenhagen (21/22 June

1993), Luxembourg (12/13 December 1997) and Helsinki (10/11 December 1999),

(cid:1) having regard to the Europe Agreement between the European Communities and its Member States of

the one part and Estonia of the other part,

(cid:1) having regard to the 1999 Accession Partnership for Estonia,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 15 April 1999 (1) on the first Regular Report from the Commission

on Estonia’s progress towards accession,

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security

and Defence Policy (A5-0238/2000),

A. whereas the EU is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms and the rule of law and whereas it is committed to respecting fundamental
rights, as guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights (Art. 6 TEU); whereas compe-
tence to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age
or sexual orientation has been bestowed upon the European Community (Art. 13 TEC) and whereas
the EU’s policies relating to fundamental rights are in the process of being further developed,

B. whereas Estonia is a stable parliamentary democracy with orderly procedures, sound relations between

the different branches of government and open and constructive political debate,

C. whereas steady progress is being made in the integration of ethnic minorities into Estonian society,

D. whereas Estonia has an open and very dynamic market economy that has proved its capability of

withstanding external pressures and of generating strong growth,

E. whereas the transposition of the acquis communautaire and the strengthening of Estonia’s ability to

implement it is progressing at a steady pace,

F. whereas the negotiations on EU accession have likewise been characterised by a good momentum,

G. whereas Estonia has a chance of becoming one of the first candidate countries to accede to the EU,

H. whereas increased regional co-operation in the Baltic Sea area will benefit all states concerned,

(1) OJ C 219, 30.07.1999, p. 437.

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Wednesday 4 October 2000

General

Notes with satisfaction the continuous progress in Estonia’s preparations for EU accession and is

1.
confident that in areas where complex challenges remain, solutions will be found;

2. Welcomes the steps taken by Estonia to amend the language law to conform with international
standards and the Europe Agreement and trusts that the Estonian authorities will implement the legal
provisions as part of comprehensive measures for the integration of non-citizens;

3. Welcomes the opening for negotiation of the remaining negotiating chapters under the Portuguese
Council Presidency;

4.
Emphasises that a situation in which accession of a candidate country would be delayed because of a
failure by the EU to complete its own preparations for enlargement must be avoided; stresses, therefore,
that the timetable adopted by the Helsinki European Council for the conclusion of the intergovernmental
conference and the ratification of the resulting treaty must be adhered to;

Political criteria

Notes that Estonia fulfils the Copenhagen criteria of stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy,

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the rule of law, human rights, and the protection of minorities;

6.
Regards the forthcoming adoption by Riigikogu, the Parliament, of the State Integration Programme
as an important event; welcomes the Government’s proposal affirming that Estonia is a multicultural
society that recognises that successful integration presupposes a situation where all parties feel confident
and safe; welcomes the amended language law, adopted by Riigikogu on 14 June 2000, which is fully in
line with international standards;

Economic criteria

Congratulates Estonia on its highly successful economic transition process and notes its extensive
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reliance on market mechanisms, the choice of an open trade regime and the membership of the WTO;
urges the Estonian government, in order to counter increasing social disparities, to enhance its efforts in
the field of labour market policies and social security, as well as the transposition and implementation of
the provisions of the European Social Charter, including those on equality, and to support the establish-
ment of a representative and autonomous social dialogue;

8.
Notes the keenness with which Estonia embraces the new information technologies; urges the EU to
intensify its work with e-Europe, so that Estonia, being part of the ‘new economy’, can prepare and adopt
proper legislation to support the development;

9.
Notes that, in addition to having adverse effects on agriculture in developing countries, the EU’s
Common Agricultural Policy also distorts competition in candidate countries’ markets for agricultural pro-
ducts; points out that this is particularly true in the case of Estonia, whose farmers receive minimal sub-
sidies but have to compete against imports from the EU, sold at artificially low prices made possible only
by massive subsidies;

Stresses that negotiations on liberalisation of trade, in particular in agricultural products, should
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duly take into account the development needs of Estonia’s agricultural sectors; underlines that the restruc-
turing of the agricultural sector and rural development measures must focus on the multiple functions of
rural economies and the diversification of income in rural areas by appropriate use of local resources and
specificities, while support for agricultural production has to integrate aspects of environmental protection,
biodiversity and food quality;

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Wednesday 4 October 2000

‘Acquis’ criteria

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Appreciates the scale of the environmental degradation caused by the communist Soviet Union’s
occupation of the country and the magnitude of the task to meet the EU environmental standards; recog-
nises the need for time and resources to complete this task and points to the benefits that early accession
can bring, both in terms of increased EU aid and of accelerated private investment in new and cleaner
production equipment;

12.
Calls on Estonia and the Commission to explore all the possibilities for aid for the environment in
the north-east part of the country, which has been seriously damaged by the processing of uranium and
the oil shale industry, considers that in view of this region’s characteristics (economic dependence on the
oil shale sector and high unemployment rate) it should be given particular attention;

13.
Urges the Estonian authorities to continue their efforts to curb drug trafficking and drug addiction,
in particular through close collaboration between legal bodies, police forces and Europol; congratulates
Estonia on ratifying the 1999 Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confisca-
tion of the Proceeds from Crime, calls on the Member States to provide Estonia with controlled and up to
date information regarding possible cross-border criminal activities; calls on Estonia to prepare suitable
structures for participation in the network that already exists for exchanging information between the
Member States;

14.
Underlines the importance of the fight against corruption, which requires co-operation at all levels
in the society, calls on the Estonian authorities to ratify the 1999 Council of Europe Criminal Law Con-
vention on Corruption;

15.
Is impressed by the administrative capacity of Estonia, and trusts the ability to implement the acquis
in a verifiable manner as there seems to be more or less a political consensus to make Estonia a good
member of the EU;

Understands the problems for a small nation with a limited number of civil servants and experts to

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implement the EU acquis, but has confidence in Estonia’s capacity to implement it;

Other

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Underlines the importance of further strengthening co-operation between all countries in the Baltic
Sea area, congratulates Estonia on its contribution to the development of regional co-operation as a mem-
ber of the Council of the Baltic Sea States;

Calls on the Commission and the Council to explain EU policies in this area to Estonia and to

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associate Estonia with their activities, including the implementation of the Common Strategy on Russia;

19.
Calls on the Commission to produce a study examining how a special form of cooperation between
the Baltic Republics, Poland and the Kaliningrad region of Russia can be ensured so that Kaliningrad main-
tains good trade and border relations with the future Members of the European Union;

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Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Parliaments of

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the Member States and the Estonian Government and Parliament.