Open letter to the Heads of State and government, Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the European Union and of the Associated States and to the President of the European Commission

To the Attention of Mr. John Major

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Brussels, June 20, 1995

Mr. Prime Minister,

Several months ago, the Transnational Radical Party took the initiative of submitting to Members of the European Parliament the idea of proposing the membership of the Bosnia to the European Union. With the support of some 80 MEPs representing a wide spectrum of political parties, we travelled to Sarajevo in order to submit the project to Haris Silajdicic the Bosnian Prime Minister.

Although convinced that such a proposal could effectively consitiute the appropriate climate to resolve the conflict in Bosnia, the Prime Minister admitted to us his frank scepticism of the real possibilities that the European Union would adopt such a proposal.

It is for this reason that we thereafter tried to reinforce this appeal by submitting the proposal to different Members of National Parliaments. Here attached are the first signatories to our appeal which we are happy to convey to you today.

Always with the idea of reinforcing this initiative, we have decided to be present with Members of the European Parliament, representatives of associations and movements which share our convictions, in front of the "Palais des Festivals" in Cannes on Monday 26 June.

We will be there under the Slogan of "Europe will die or be reborn in Sarajevo: immediate membership of Bosnia to the European Union." This proposal is gathering momentum and more adherants everyday: increasingly Europeans believe that the whole "european project" would lose its aim if Europe were to show itself incapable of bringing a political response worthy of the principles on which it is founded. In contrast, the Union in general, and certain Member States in particular, find themselves in a political and diplomatic deadlock and a military deadlock concerning the contigent of Blue Helmets.

On the other hand, and in order to avoid any ambiguities, we find it necessary to specify that Bosnia's Membership would, from an economic point of view, be entirely within the Union's capacity. We have in fact calculated that the cost of "adopting" Bosnia (agricultural policy, structural funds, etc.) would not be above 500 million Ecus per annum for a period of 4 or 5 years.

This is to say just more than one Ecu per european citizen per year. Futhermore, we can reasonably rely on the fact that the cost deriving from the presence of UN contingents would be largely reduced.

Mr. Prime Minister, of the important reasons above, the most essential is the future of Bosnia and the Union itself. I address myself to you with the firm hope that you will defend this proposal with all you strength in the course of the summit which with your contribution could become, no doubt, historic.

I am sure that you will understand my reasons for expressing myself at such length,

Yours faithfully,

Olivier Dupuis

(Secretary of the Radical Party)