European Parliament resolution on Slovenia's application for membership of the European Union and the state of negotiations (COM(2000) 712 - C5-0612/2000 - 1997/2181(COS))
Date: 2001-09-05
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Slovenia, accession negotiations, accession to the European Union, economic policy, environmental policy, political integration, social policy, transport policy

21.3.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Wednesday 5 September 2001

expresses the wish that the visa requirement for Romanian citizens should in fact be abolished from
1 October 2001, provided that the necessary conditions are complied with; invites the Romanian Govern-
ment to make a clear commitment to the fight against illegal immigration and residence, including the
repatriation of illegal residents;

40.
Considers that the law on foreigners adopted on 2 April 2001 is a first step and welcomes
Romania(cid:146)s decision of 30 June 2001 to issue a new type of passport with improved security items; notes
that reinforced visa requirements with some neighbour countries will be of the utmost importance; urges
the Romanian Government to adopt the necessary programmes for enhancing border control capacity;

41.
Expresses its concern about the complaints by Romanian citizens regarding the action of the vari-
ous intelligence and security services created in the different Ministries and of the Romanian Intelligence
Service;

Romanian contribution to regional stability

Draws attention to the important role of Romania in the stabilisation of south-east Europe, and
42.
welcomes Romania(cid:146)s constructive participation in various regional cooperation initiatives, such as the
South-East Europe Cooperation Initiative (SECI), the South-East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP), the
Stability Pact for South-East Europe, and the Initiative for Central Europe (ICE); welcomes the important
contribution that Romania is already making in the context of the EU(cid:146)s Common Foreign and Security
Policy (CFSP), particularly in the (cid:145)15+15(cid:146) consultation machinery concerning the European Security and
Defence Policy (ESDP);

43.
Considers that a NATO decision to invite Romania to become a member of the North Atlantic
Alliance in 2002 would be an important contribution to regional security; welcomes therefore Romania(cid:146)s
efforts to satisfy the requisite conditions for NATO membership and, in particular, Romania(cid:146)s efforts to
restructure its military sector and to adjust its defence policy;

44. Welcomes the Romanian OSCE chairmanship which is helping to improve the common goals of
conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict reconstruction;

*

*

*

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

45.
the Member States and the Government and Parliament of Romania.

17. State of accession negotiations with Slovenia

A5-0260/2001

European Parliament resolution on Slovenia(cid:146)s application for membership of the European Union
and the state of negotiations (COM(2000) 712 (cid:129) C5-0612/2000 (cid:129) 1997/2181(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to Slovenia(cid:146)s application for membership of the European Union, submitted on 10 June

1996, pursuant to Article 49 of the EU Treaty,

(cid:129) having regard to the 2000 Regular Report from the Commission on Slovenia(cid:146)s progress towards

accession (COM(2000) 712 (cid:129) C5-0612/2000),

(cid:129) having regard to the 2000 Enlargement Strategy Paper on progress towards accession by each of the

candidate countries, presented by the Commission (COM(2000) 700),

(cid:129) having regard to the decisions taken by the European Council, notably at Copenhagen (21/22 June
1993), Luxembourg (12/13 December 1997), Helsinki (10/11 December 1999), Nice (7-9 December
2000) and Gothenburg (15/16 June 2001),

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(cid:129) having regard to the Accession Partnership for Slovenia concluded in 1999,

(cid:129) having regard to its resolution of 4 October 2000 on Slovenia(cid:146)s application for membership of the
(COM(1999) 512 (cid:129) C5-0035/2000 (cid:129) 1997/

European Union and the state of negotiations
2181(COS)) (1),

(cid:129) having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security

and Defence Policy and the opinions of the other committees concerned (A5-0260/2001),

A. whereas the Slovene authorities have confirmed that Slovenia will be ready for accession on 1 January

2003 and that the acquis ought to have been fully incorporated within the first half of 2002,

B. whereas, Slovenia would like to be able to take part in the 2004 elections to the European Parliament;

whereas delayed accession could lead to public disaffection with Europe in Slovenia,

C. bearing in mind that Slovenia is drafting constitutional amendments to align its institutional set-up

with that of Europe that will enter into force when the country joins the European Union,

D. noting that, according to the 2000 Regular Report from the Commission, Slovenia continues to
respect human rights and fundamental freedoms fully, and that, since Slovenia has now ratified the
major international conventions on constitutional rights, it can be said to be observing such rights to
the full,

E. whereas relations with all minorities in Slovenia(cid:146)s border areas have improved; noting in particular the
cultural agreement with Austria, the improvement in relations with Italy following the promulgation
of the law on the protection of Slovene minorities, the effective cooperation along the Italo-Slovene
border, and the resolution of certain outstanding differences with Croatia, and wishing to see an
effective initiative by the Slovene Government to resolve outstanding problems relating to property
involving individual citizens, and social, religious and cultural organisations,

F. whereas, having initially shied away from involvement in Balkan affairs, Slovenia is now working
strenuously for stability in south-east Europe as part of international programmes and by dispatching
armed personnel to destabilised areas,

G. noting that Slovenia would be willing provide the European Union and the international community
with its own political and economic knowledge of the region and with the practical expertise that it
has drawn from its past and is now bringing to bear,

H.

stressing that Slovenia(cid:146)s macroeconomic climate is considered extremely healthy and that the 4-5 %
increase in GDP may yet be improved upon further,

I.

J.

aware that, at 7 %, unemployment in Slovenia remains below the European average and that emi-
gration trends are minimal,

bearing in mind Slovenia(cid:146)s wish to avoid any transitional period towards the free movement of per-
sons,

K. observing that a range of laws and provisions has already been adopted on government, public
agencies, administration, inspections and civil servants, the aim being to instil continuity into public
service with permanent, politically impartial staff along the lines of the British civil service,

L. whereas Slovenia is the first of the candidate countries to have concluded negotiations on the complex
and costly environment chapter; noting further that, contrary to expectations, the chapter on the free
movement of capital has also been concluded, following a lively domestic debate stemming from the
traditional fears of a small country vis-(cid:224)-vis major wealthy economies,

(1) OJ C 178, 22.6.2001, p. 154.

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M. whereas the survival of small owner-proprietor agrarian enterprises has been one of the vital bases for

the preservation of biodiversity in many of the candidate countries,

N. noting Slovenia(cid:146)s preparations for entry into the Schengen system, to which end it is putting in place
six checkpoints on the future external borders of the Union; welcoming the promising results achieved
by the joint Italo-Slovene patrols operating along the border between the two countries, set up to curb
the influx of illegal immigrants from third countries,

1. Welcomes the progress so far made by Slovenia in transposing chapters of the acquis communautaire;

Calls on the Slovene Government to speed up the privatisation of the leading banks in Ljubljana and

2.
Maribor and views the most recent developments as a useful step in this direction;

3.
Calls on the Slovene Government to revitalise reform of the financial sector by encouraging com-
petition, to speed up company restructuring and to increase manpower flexibility, so as to foster business
development and improve market efficiency;

4.
Calls on the Slovene authorities to inject transparency into the rules governing foreign investment
flows, which, at less than USD 200 million, rank amongst the lowest in the applicant countries and are in
large part the result of reinvestment from previous years;

5.
Notes that the mere 73 purchase applications submitted between February 1999 and 10 March 2001
should serve to allay Slovenia(cid:146)s fears as regards the excessive influence of foreign capital in the property
sector;

6.
Hopes that all privatisation-related disputes, and above all those resulting from the transposition of
the acquis, can be resolved; draws attention also to the fact that, upon accession, Slovenia will be required
to comply with all European legislation;

7.
Notes that the environment chapter has been provisionally closed with Slovenia and that three tran-
sitional periods have been negotiated, including one lasting up to 2015 for urban waste water treatment
and another up to 2011 for integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC); calls for careful monitoring
of progress with the involvement of all stakeholders, including environmental NGOs, on meeting the inter-
mediate targets that have been agreed, and of the implementing measures and financing arrangements that
are envisaged;

8.
Emphasises that EU animal welfare legislation must be properly supported by adequate controls at
national and EU level if enlargement to include Slovenia is not to result in a deterioration in the EU(cid:146)s farm
animal welfare record;

9.
Believes it is of central importance that Slovenia monitors carefully the implementation of the new
proposals in the Commission(cid:146)s White Paper on Food Safety, and that this is taken fully into account before
the negotiations are finally completed;

10.
Calls on Slovenia to put in place mechanisms necessary to link effectively to the Community(cid:146)s
Rapid Alert System, both in terms of alerting the European Food Safety Authority of any serious perceived
or identified risk and in terms of action to be taken by the RAS as a result of an EFSA warning;

11.
Believes it would be useful to reach cross-party agreement on the division of Slovenia into regions
and to this end calls on the government to find a solution, bearing in mind the importance of strengthen-
ing regional authorities(cid:146) ability to implement the acquis, in particular in the environmental field, as well as
their decisive role in the successful and sustainable management of the EU Structural Funds after accession;

12.
Notes with satisfaction that Slovenia is well prepared for its accession to the European Union and is
able to meet the requirements of the Community acquis in the transport sector without any transitional
period (cid:129) a large part of the legislative framework is already in place, and that framework will be com-
pleted by 2002;

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13.
Emphasises that, thanks to extensive investment in modernisation and to a transport policy geared
to quality, cost-effectiveness, environmental protection and safety, the country(cid:146)s infrastructure has made
substantial progress towards reaching Community level;

Calls on the Commission further to introduce measures and projects within the context of Corridor

14.
V aimed at the physical and socio-economic integration of the EU-Slovenia cross-border areas;

Calls for the outstanding laws in the road transport sector (road traffic act, road transport contracts

15.
and improvements in road transport safety) to be swiftly drawn up and actually implemented by 2002;

16.
Emphasises that the legal framework for further tasks in the rail transport sector must be created,
on the basis of the 1999 Railways Act, with particular regard to interoperability of high-speed and con-
ventional trains; welcomes the modernisation of the section of Corridor V between Hungary and Slovenia
and the closing of that gap in the railway network by 2002;

17.
Expects air transport activities to be put on a new legal footing (Air Transport Act) at the earliest
possible opportunity and urges the Slovene Government to modernise and strengthen its management
structures;

18. Welcomes the very advanced state of alignment with EU legislation, with particular regard to safety
issues, in the maritime transport sector, even though the adoption of the maritime code has been delayed;

Takes note of the strenuous efforts on the part of the Slovene authorities to reverse the considerable
19.
backlogs in public administration and the judiciary; welcomes the fact that, with 145 000 civil actions still
outstanding, under the Hercules programme an ad hoc group of judges is to be sent to district courts with
the largest backlog and that specialised staff have been hired in the various district courts; welcomes the
computerisation of the land register, introduced with the cooperation of the World Bank;

20. Welcomes the final settlement of the dispute between Slovenia and Croatia concerning access for
the port of Koper-Capodistria to international waters;

21. Welcomes the Slovene Government(cid:146)s blueprint for a National Development Plan designed to align
the Phare, Sapard and ISPA programmes and the status thereof;

Encourages the participation of Slovenia in the Community(cid:146)s new Health Action programme

22.
launched in 2000;

23. Welcomes the stated commitment of the Slovene Government to introduce legislation on mental
health and calls on it to implement this as soon as possible;

24.
Notes the progress achieved by Slovenia as far as the system of external and internal financial
control is concerned, but calls on the Slovene authorities to ensure that the services responsible for internal
audit and inspection are separated;

25.

Urges Slovenia to set up a precise mechanism for the follow-up of internal audit reports;

26.

Calls for swift transposition and alignment of legislation in the field of health and safety at work;

27. Welcomes the existing social dialogue, which, however, should be further developed at sectoral
level;

Calls for the promotion of cross-border contact and cooperation between social partners in border

28.
regions so as to help disseminate EU social partnership models;

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29.
Calls on Slovenia, in view of experience with national employment plans in EU Member States in
the context of the Luxembourg Process, to concentrate on similar initiatives; considers that a monitoring
system therefore needs to be introduced, as a flanking measure, to improve information on the course and
impact of industrial restructuring processes and thus counteract adverse effects on the labour market;

30.
Calls for the integration of the principles of equal pay for work of equal value, equal treatment of
women and men in employment, occupation and vocational training, and reconciliation of work and
family life into the Slovene legal framework, including the introduction of a range of initiatives (public
or private) which will in practice facilitate the integration of professional and family life, especially for
families with children;

31.
Notes that there are no surveys or statistics on this topic, but according to the experience of the
SOS phone, violence is characteristic of every fifth family in Slovenia; calls on the Commission to encour-
age Slovenia(cid:146)s full participation in Community programmes which can strengthen gender equality and
especially in the Programme relating to the Community framework strategy on gender equality (2001-
2005), as well as in the STOP and Daphne programmes to combat violence against women;

32.
Notes that agricultural production in line with European food safety, veterinary, phytosanitary and
quality standards is not possible, in every instance, when accession takes place; notes that the purpose of
pre-accession aid must be to improve that situation; realises that, for a period following accession, internal
trade may be restricted by these European demands;

33.
Draws attention to the fact that the structures of holdings in the agricultural sector are still unfav-
ourable, since 90 % of agricultural land continues to be farmed by small private holdings, which accounts
for the average farm size of only 4,8 ha; stresses, in this connection, the need to provide more support for
cooperative structures there, so as to enable Slovenia to participate in the internal market successfully;

34. Welcomes the adoption of a law giving European Union citizens wishing to study in Slovenia the
same rights as the country(cid:146)s own citizens;

35.
Earnestly hopes that the Council will soon approve the proposals for decisions with a view to
Slovenia(cid:146)s participation in the Culture 2000 and Media+ programmes; recalls that the establishment of a
(cid:145)European Cultural Area(cid:146) centred on respect for and encouragement of cultural and linguistic diversity and
a common shared heritage will contribute to the process of integration;

Calls on the Slovenian Government to adopt appropriate measures to prevent monopolies on the

36.
distribution of the printed media;

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

37.
the Member States and the government and parliament of Slovenia.

18. State of accession negotiations with Cyprus

A5-0261/2001

European Parliament resolution on Cyprus(cid:146)s membership application to the European Union and
the state of negotiations (COM(2000) 702 (cid:129) C5-0602/2000 (cid:129) 1997/2171(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to Cyprus(cid:146)s application for membership of the European Union, submitted on 3 July

1990 pursuant to Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union,

(cid:129) having regard to the accession negotiations opened with the Republic of Cyprus on 31 March 1998,