B3-1553 and B3-1554/93

Resolution on the negotiations concerning enlargement of the Union to include Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its earlier resolutions on enlargement, especially those of 15 May 1991 on Community enlargement and relations with other European countries, of 7 April 1992 on the results of the intergovernmental conferences and of 15 July 1993 on enlargement,

A.whereas the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union has given a new dimension to the negotiations on the accession of Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway,

B.firmly believing that the implementation of a common foreign and security policy constitutes a driving force for the Union and a major factor in its development, and that it will make a major contribution to stability in Europe,

1.Considers that enlargement must under no circumstances undermine the cohesion of the Union and its ability to act in the areas in which its powers have been established or confirmed under the Treaty on European Union;

2.Reaffirms that any enlargement must be accompanied by the institutional changes needed to ensure that the Union operates smoothly, changes which must be incorporated in the accession treaties;

3.Calls for the immediate opening of an interinstitutional dialogue between Parliament, the Council and the Commission, with a view to considering means of guaranteeing the effective functioning of the institutions following enlargement; considers that the three institutions could appoint a Committee of Wise Persons to assist them in this task;

4.Considers that this dialogue should concern, in particular, the following subjects:

(a)improving the system of qualified majority voting;

(b)recourse to a double qualified majority to replace the unanimity currently provided for in the treaties;

(c)revising the arrangements for the composition and appointment of the Commission, in accordance with Article 157 of the Treaty, to enable it to continue to include 'at least one national of each of the Member States' while not including 'more than two members having the nationality of the same State', while the powers of its President should be reinforced, in particular as regards the procedure for appointment of the Commission and the organization of its work under the supervision of Parliament;

(d)providing for an automatic presidency rotation system to ensure both the right of all Member States to occupy the presidency and balanced troikas, each one including at least one of the five most populous Member States;

(e)greater flexibility in the procedures for revising the treaties;

5.Points out that successful enlargement also requires thorough democratization of the Union and its legislative procedures in particular, by:

(a)extending the joint decision-making procedure to all cases in which the Treaty on European Union provides for the procedure under Article 189c (cooperation);

(b)extending the Article 189c procedure (cooperation) to all cases in which the Treaty on European Union provides for consultation of Parliament and a majority decision by the Council;

6.Hopes that the Council and the Commission will establish a constructive dialogue with the four countries applying for membership with a view to enabling them to bring their respective foreign and security policies into line with that to be defined progressively by the Union;

7.Calls on the countries applying for membership to accept, fully and without reservation, the objectives and obligations stemming from Title V of the Treaty on European Union;

8.Considers qualified majority voting on foreign policy to be essential to the effectiveness of the Union's overall strategy;

9.Calls, therefore, on the Council to resort as often as possible to the provisions of Article J.3(2) of the Treaty on European Union, which allow decisions to be adopted by a qualified majority;

10.Reserves the right to give its overall opinion on the negotiations as a whole on the basis of the recommendations to be drawn up by the appropriate committee, pursuant to Rule 89 of its Rules of Procedure;

11.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments of the Union Member States and the respective governments and parliaments of Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway.