SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. We consider that the Government should
assess how it could develop its policies and approaches to Central
and Eastern Europe to improve British trade and investment involvement.
(Paragraph 15)
2. We urge the Government to continue to
work actively to maintain and strengthen the commitment of the
EU Member States to the enlargement process and to work jointly
with other key countries such as Germany to provide strategic
direction and momentum to the process. (Paragraph 18)
3. The Committee supports the United Kingdom's
aim, as expressed in the FCO's memorandum, of ensuring "the
UK gets good value for money while making a fair contribution
to the EU budget." The committee believes that the United
Kingdom's rebate continues to be fully justified. It supports
the position of the government in defending the rebate. (Paragraph
35)
4. We believe that the CAP must be reformed,
though the Government should aim to ensure that any such reform
should enable sustainable and affordable enlargement to proceed.
Any reform which creates long-term discrimination between existing
and new Member States will be both unsustainable and unacceptable.
We support the Government in its efforts to secure substantial
reform of the CAP through the introduction of co-financing and
degressive direct-aid payments. (Paragraph 41)
5. The Committee believes that the reformed
structural funds should be both fair and transparent and that
the applicant countries should, subject to transitional periods
and the 4% ceiling, be treated equally with other Member States
upon accession. (Paragraph 46)
6. The Committee supports reform of the structural
funds to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. The Government
must continue strenuously to negotiate for Objective 1 status
for a number of the most deprived regions of the United Kingdom
and must protect the funding that will make such status meaningful.
(Paragraph 49)
7. The Government must ensure that, at this
stage in its history, Northern Ireland should continue to receive
special dispensation in relation to the Peace Initiative and the
International Fund for Ireland. (Paragraph 50)
8. The Committee believes that more should
be done to explain the implications and opportunities of EU enlargement,
and considers that the Government should put forward specific
proposals to improve public understanding and knowledge in the
United Kingdom and throughout the EU. (Paragraph 51)
9. The Committee considers it important that
a clear and fair agreement on the major elements of Agenda
2000 is reached during the German Presidency in order not
to impede the enlargement process. There must be fair and effective
reform of the CAP and the structural funds if enlargement is to
proceed. (Paragraph 52)
10. We are concerned that reforms to voting
weights and the composition of the Commission proposed in the
institutional protocol to the Amsterdam Treaty are insufficient
to provide for the EU's requirements in the context of the current
enlargement. We urge the Government to give greater consideration
to the institutional structures which will be appropriate for
a European Union of 25 or more Member States. (Paragraph 57)
11. We believe that the Government should
oppose any extension of Qualified Majority Voting into areas which
affect the United Kingdom's national interest.
(Paragraph 58)
12. We recognise the need for further reform
of the EU's institutions in the context of enlargement. However,
we believe that the Government should ensure that any such reform
does not adversely affect the United Kingdom's interests.
(Paragraph 59)
13. We agree with the Government that the
United Kingdom should retain its right to nominate two Commissioners
unless and until a satisfactory agreement on reforms to the voting
system within the Council are reached. (Paragraph 59)
14. We recommend that the Government should
work to ensure general agreement on those aspects of EU reform
which will ensure the effective functioning of EU institutions
after the admission of ten or more new Member States.
(Paragraph 60)
15. We believe that the Government should
consider measures which would allow applicant states to have a
more formal role in consultations on future EU positions and policies
at Ministerial and official level. (Paragraph 63)
16. We consider that the Government should
give serious consideration to the adoption of a non-binding target
date for initial accessions to the EU, and to promote this within
the EU as a desirable policy approach. (Paragraph 70)
17. We believe that the Government should
promote further means whereby the EU's sustained commitment to
all applicant states may be demonstrated, irrespective of their
progress towards accession. (Paragraph 72)
18. The Committee supports the view that
enlargement must not involve a differentiation between different
classes of Member States and considers that the four freedoms
of the single market—the free movement of goods, capital,
services and persons—should apply upon accession or as soon
as practicable thereafter. (Paragraph 78)
19. The Committee believes that the Government
should urge the EU to give closer attention to the impact of its
current enlargement policies on relations between countries in
the region and to ensure they do not exacerbate divisions between
countries. (Paragraph 79)
20. We believe that it is vital that there
is adequate information and widespread discussion in the applicant
countries about joining the EU and that accession does not remain
simply a choice made by political elites on behalf of their populations.
We therefore urge the United Kingdom and the EU to work with the
applicants on improving the functioning of democracy in general
and the treatment of minorities in particular. (Paragraph 81)
21. We consider that the Government should
make it clear that Turkey does not have a veto over the accession
of Cyprus, and that Cyprus, even in its present divided state,
may therefore be admitted to the EU on the same basis as all other
applicants. (Paragraph 88)
22. We believe that the Government should
recognise the possibility that enlargement will disproportionately
reduce the United Kingdom's influence within the institutions
of the EU. We recommend that the Government pursue a vigorous
political and diplomatic strategy for the defence of the United
Kingdom's proper and proportionate influence within the EU. (Paragraph
89)
23. We believe that commitment to the process
of enlargement must mean a commitment of resources to increasing
relations with applicant states at all levels: diplomatic, administrative,
commercial and industrial. We look forward to witnessing the "good
results . . . in the near future"which Ms Quin promised would
result from the increased commitment of FCO resources and diplomatic
activity in the applicant states. (Paragraph 92)
24. We recommend that the Foreign Secretary
should in 1999 visit those countries in the "first wave"
which he has not already visited, and that the Prime Minister
should promote the further development of a comprehensive programme
of Ministerial visits to all applicant states. (Paragraph 94)
25. We recommend that the Government review
the present levels of specialist expertise on the countries of
Central and Eastern Europe within the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office and more generally within the United Kingdom, and ensure
that such expertise is developed to reflect the importance to
the United Kingdom of these future Member States. (Paragraph 95)
26. The Committee concludes that now is not
the time to reduce Know How Fund expenditure to the "first
wave" applicant states. (Paragraph 97)
27. We are concerned that some elements of
the PHARE programme, which is a major plank of the EU's assistance
to the applicant states, are apparently not as effective and useful
as they could be. We hope that the Government will investigate
the effectiveness of the EU's assessment and evaluation of applicant
countries' responses to this new focus of the PHARE programme.
(Paragraph 99)
28. We recommend that the Government, in
its discussions with EU partners, emphasises the need to maintain
and develop the bilateral and multilateral relationships between
the EU, the applicant states and other European states throughout
the process of accession. (Paragraph 100)
29. We believe that the Government should
make every effort to ensure that the historic opportunity of enlargement
is not lost, and that security and stability in Europe is thereby
enhanced. (Paragraph 107)
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