B3-1017, 1018 and 1043/93

Resolution on enlargement

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its resolutions of 15 May 1991 on Community enlargement and relations with other European countries, 7 April 1992 on the results of the intergovernmental conferences, 10 June 1992 on a uniform electoral procedure: a scheme for allocating the seats of Members of the European Parliament, and 20 January 1993 on the structure and strategy for the European Union with regard to its enlargement and the creation of a Europe-wide order,

-having regard to the conclusions of the European Council meetings in Lisbon, Edinburgh and Copenhagen,

A.having regard to the progress made in the negotiations with the applicant countries,

B.whereas the four applicant countries have all unequivocally declared that they do not oppose a further deepening of the institutional structure of the Community,

1.Welcomes the progress made so far and looks forward to the successful conclusion of the enlargement negotiations and the accession of Austria, Finland, Norway and Sweden to the European Union;

2.Hopes that the negotiations can be completed in time to allow accession to take place on 1 January 1995;

3.Believes that the Community thus enlarged will be beneficial for all its members and for the stability of the European continent; considers that, in the long run, this will pave the way for further enlargement of the Community so that it will become a framework for the peoples and states of Europe jointly to solve their common problems in a context of peace, stability and the rule of law;

4.Takes the view that enlargement to include the four applicant countries is an essential requirement for the promotion of growth and employment within the Community and outside;

5.Stresses once again the fact that all the candidate states must accept the acquis communautaire, including the Treaty on European Union, as well as the goal of further European integration, and insists that there be no further opt-outs similar to those obtained by the UK and Denmark;

6.Underlines that the Community aquis allows the maintenance, in the applicant countries, of high environmental and social standards in particular as regards labour market policy; considers that Community legislation, notably in the environmental and social sectors, can be further improved in an enlarged Community;

7.Believes that the applicant countries will make major contributions to the Community as regards the principle of open government, democratic accountability and social and environmental standards, including equal opportunities between men and women;

8.Recalls its position as stated in its abovementioned resolution of 7 April 1992 that "it will not be able to agree to the accession of new Member States unless further reforms are adopted in addition to the Maastricht Treaty", and, unlike the European Council, is convinced that enlargement of the Community necessitates further institutional reforms if a Community of sixteen member states is to be able to work for the benefit of all its citizens; considers, therefore, that the accession treaty must include adjustments to the organization of the Commission and to the rules governing the Council with respect to the scope and method of majority voting, its meeting in public and its presidency, as well as an extension of the co-decision procedure and changes to the procedure for revision of the Treaties;

9.Recalls the number of seats that it proposed for members of the European Parliament for the applicant states in its abovementioned resolution of 10 June 1992; completes the figures indicated in that resolution by proposing 15 seats for Norway;

10.Welcomes the publication of the Commission's opinions on the applications of Cyprus and Malta, and instructs its Foreign Affairs Committee to examine them;

11.Calls on the Commission to take all necessary steps to ensure that adequate information on the Community is available to the populations in the applicant states;

12.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the applicant states.