A4-0159/95

Resolution on Malta's application for membership of the European Union

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the Commission opinion of 30 June 1993 on Malta's application for membership of the European Union,

-having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 4 October 1993,

-having regard to its debate held during the sittings of 19 and 20 January 1994 on the applications of Cyprus and Malta to join the Union,

-having regard to the conclusions of the Corfu, Essen and Cannes European Councils,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on the subject, in particular those of 21 July 1994 on the conclusions of the Corfu European Council of 24 and 25 June 1994 and 29 September 1994 on the European Union's Mediterranean policy,

-having regard to the Commission's report to the Council on implementation of the economic reforms in Malta, with a view to reconsidering the issue of Malta's accession to the European Union,

-having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 10 April 1995,

-having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the opinion of the Committee on External Economic Relations (A4-0159/95),

A.whereas the Lisbon European Council of 26-27 June 1992 decided that each application to join the Union should be considered in its own right,

B.whereas the European Council meeting in Cannes on 26 and 27 June 1995 reaffirmed that negotiations for the accession of Malta and Cyprus to the Union would commence six months after the end of the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference, on the basis of proposals from the Commission,

C.noting the willingness expressed by the Maltese Government to carry out, with the assistance of the Commission, a series of reforms which will make it possible for negotiations to be opened with a view to Malta's accession to the Union,

D.having regard to the many statements made by the Maltese authorities relating to acceptance of the principles contained in the Treaty on European Union and the provisions relating to the establishment of a common foreign and security policy,

E.whereas accession to the European Union will involve full participation by the new Member States in the activities in the sphere of the CFSP, with all the commitments that derive therefrom,

F.whereas, in both law and practice, Malta provides the fullest guarantees for human rights and basic freedoms in accordance with standards of protection which are comparable with those of the Member States,

G.noting the positive conclusions of the negotiations on the Fourth Financial Protocol between the European Union and Malta,

H.welcoming the Maltese authorities' determined efforts to adapt the country's economy with a view to accession, which have also been recognized by the Commission,

I.noting that on the occasion of the Cannes European Council, the "15" met the Head of Government and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta,

1.Stresses the geopolitical and strategic importance and the value of enlarging the Union to include more of the Mediterranean area;

2.Points to the democratic nature of Maltese institutions and the fact that Malta has long been actively involved in the activities of European and international organizations;

3.Welcomes the progress made in the pre-negotiating stage between the Commission and the Maltese Government, which in the short term will enable relations between Malta and the European Union to be strengthened and will form the necessary basis for a pre-accession strategy before the actual negotiations on accession;

4.Firmly believes that the legal and economic obstacles referred to by the Commission are easily surmountable, since both parties are demonstrating a clear and determined political will;

5.Repeats that enlargement must be accompanied by institutional changes;

6.Stresses the importance of a rapid implementation of the new Financial Protocol, which could in fact be considered as a pre-accession protocol, for supporting the efforts of Malta towards integration into the European Union;

7.Considers that the spirit of cooperation and the goodwill expressed by the Maltese authorities and the institutions of the Union will enable the negotiations to get under way in the near future;

8.Believes that the economic situation of Malta will not create any obstacle to the opening and to a quick conclusion of the negotiations; any further expansion of the economy should not, however, be obtained at the expense of a healthy environment;

9.Points out the Maltese Government has stated that it is able to accept the spirit and the letter of the provisions of the Treaty on European Union with regard to the common foreign and security policy;

10.Calls on the Member States to ensure that at the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference Malta is given observer status with speaking rights;

11.Is of the opinion that the establishment of a pre-accession strategy including a structured dialogue between Malta and the Union, based on the same principles and procedures as those set in the Europe Agreements, will be an appropriate step to strengthen relations before the actual start of the negotiations;

12.Welcomes the establishment of structured dialogue between Malta and the Union approved by the Association Council on 20 June 1995 and stresses that the practicalities of this dialogue must be equivalent to those of the structured dialogue with the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe;

13.Contends that Malta's status as a candidate for accession at the next phase of enlargement should be adequately reflected at the Euro-Mediterranean Conference;

14.Welcomes the statement made by the Cannes European Council in which it reaffirms that the negotiations on the accession of Malta will begin, on the basis of the Commission proposals, six months after the conclusion of the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference, taking the outcome of the Conference into account;

15.Calls upon the Council and Member States accordingly to make a determined and unreserved commitment in that direction, to enable Malta to accede to the European Union without delay;

16.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the government of Malta.