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The Head of State met with experts on Europe's enlargement05.10.2002
President Arnold Rüütel yesterday late in the afternoon at Kadriorg received the participants in the international conference "Problems of Socio-Economic Convergence and Preparations for Enlargement of the European Union."
The President expressed his satisfaction with the fact that on the eve of the accession to the European Union scientists from future member states were discussing the role that we would like to take in a united Europe, and what were the expectations and hopes of our peoples in this connection. The Head of State said that it was vital to continue monitoring of how the new member states were adapting to the European Union also after the enlargement process formally would be completed.
Professor Juhan Sillaste at the meeting stressed that the point in this context was not only whether to be in the European Union but also how to be there, and that the enlargement process was primarily being watched considering the aspects of human and national identity.
Villu Reiljan, the leader of the Estonian People's Union having actively supported the organization of the conference as a so-called Euro-realist admitted: "we still don't know well enough what is awaiting us in this rejuvenating and changing union," and added that conferences like this offered chances to evaluate different strategies and tactics of behaviour in the European Union enlarging.
The conference is the forth in a series of conferences of research centres from East and Central European applicant countries on monitoring preparations for the accession to the European Union, which this time takes place in Estonia organized by the Office of European Integration of State Chancellery and the Institute for European Studies. In this scientific event, carried out on October 4-6 at Pärnu, twenty well-known experts on economic convergence and public opinion research from Eastern and Central European countries are participating.
Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 5, 2002
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