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President of the Republic Address in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament on November 27, 2002, Brussels27.11.2002
Dear members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament!
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Thank you for the possibility to share my views with you on the present and future of the European Union from the point of view of Estonia. Although the Copenhagen Summit is still ahead, already today we can be quite sure that the enlargement of the European Union or actually the reunification of Europe will take place. In the year 2004 Estonia together with other candidate countries will became a full member in the European Union. With reference to the positive decision taken on the enlargement of NATO in Prague last week, Estonia welcomes such a development. The full membership in both the European Union and NATO has been our firm commitment since the restoration of independence in August 1991. Our return to Europe has been long and complicated and we would like to express our gratitude to the former and current members of the European Parliament, politicians, diplomats, and scientists, everybody who has supported us on our way. I think that the European Parliament has fulfilled its historic role by reuniting Europe. It was you who were the first to say that accession negotiations should be finished so that citizens of new Member States could participate in the elections to the European Parliament in June 2004. The open plenary session last week in Strasbourg, with also members of the Estonian Parliament Riigikogu participating, showed clearly that the European Parliament was and still is an efficient and firm guarantor of democratic Europe.
Remaining deeply positive vis-à-vis the enlargement of the European Union and the common future of Europe, I would like to enlarge upon two issues, which are of utmost significance and should be considered in more detail. Firstly, the evaluation of the ultimate result of the Convention on the future of Europe, the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) more specifically and secondly, relations of the EU and its new neighbours, especially Russia.
Although undefined in the beginning, the objective of the Convention on the future of Europe is to draft a constitutional treaty for the European Union. This treaty will be a democratic cornerstone of Europe, which should strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the Union, increase its clarity and efficiency. It is a pleasure to see that representatives of both candidate countries and Member States participate in the work, as the new constitutional treaty will be of fundamental significance for current as well as future Member States. Hence it is important for current candidate countries to participate as full-fledged members at the IGC, which will ultimately discuss the treaty and approve it. The treaty will be a constitutional treaty also for the new Member States. This is the way to enhance the democratic legitimacy of the European Union in the eyes of the citizens of the new Member States. They will have to take a decision on the accession of their countries at the referenda next year. Therefore it will be very important how the EU will adopt the treaty. Herewith I would like to assure you that I fully support the Joint Statement of the Heads of Government of the Laeken Group Candidate Countries adopted on 15 November 2002 in Warsaw and the decision taken by the EU foreign ministers on 18 November. Both are in compliance with the decision taken by the Nice European Council indicating that the candidate countries, which have completed the accession negotiations, can participate in the Intergovernmental Conference in 2004. Thus, we could talk about a Treaty of Dublin signed also by the new Member States as full-fledged members.
Ladies and gentlemen!
The other issue I would briefly enlarge upon is the relations of the EU with its new neighbours and Russia. The eastern border of Estonia will become an external border of the European Union. This will enhance the responsibility of the Estonian border guard and customs service towards all Member States, particularly in prevention of organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. I can assure you that Estonian border guard has been trained and is technically equipped to be ready. Numerous EU experts visiting our eastern border have confirmed our preparedness. In the past we have conducted successful trilateral cooperation between border guard services of Estonia, Finland and Russia. As this is the common external border of the European Union joint financing should be secured.
We have positive experience also in our regional cross-border cooperation with Russia in programmes launched under the Northern Dimension. I can just add that for us Russia is not a new neighbour. Nordic countries support also our bilateral cooperation of adjacent border areas of Estonia and Russia and enlargement would definitely give a positive impetus to this. Together with UK and Canada we have implemented several trilateral projects with the Ukraine and Georgia. I am convinced the cooperation with Russia should be deepened after the enlargement - this would be both in the interests of Russia and the European Union, as the best possible neighbour for the European Union would be a democratic and open Russia with market economy. Contemporaneously we should ask before establishing "privileged relations" what kind of general principles we should be guided by in our future relations with new neighbours and with Russia? I do not think we have to invent a wheel as general principles have been formulated as early as in 1993 at the Copenhagen Summit. Ministers for Foreign Affairs underlined the same principles convening on 18 November. There is no doubt that each European state should aim at stable democratic institutions, rule of law, human rights, protection of minorities and functioning market economy. The Copenhagen criteria have fulfilled their historic role and facilitated political and economic processes, which allow ten Central and East European countries to join the family of European democracies. This proves that right guidelines and goals were set in Copenhagen; they serve as a basis for drafting our approach to neighbouring countries and Russia. General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) concluded earlier last week that we are all committed to promoting strengthening of democracy and market economy in new neighbouring countries and Russia. In other words we should support the political and economic forces, which share European fundamental values such as democracy, human rights and rule of law. This is a topic related to Europe as a whole in the context of history and future and it is vital for us to participate in the discussions.
Thank you!
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