Wednesday November 8, 2006
enlargement blues By Shada Islam, Brussels- The European Commission on Wednesday recommended a go-slow approach to future European Union expansion in a bid to combat growing public hostility to further enlargement of the 25- nation bloc. Setting out a new strategy for EU enlargement, the commission - the EU's executive agency - said the bloc intended to be "cautious about assuming any new commitments" on allowing in new members.
Raising the bar even higher, it added that the entry of new members would be conditional on the bloc's own "integration capacity" as well as candidate countries' ability to meet "rigorous" EU accession requirements.
Olli Rehn, the EU's top official in charge of expansion, said the bloc must maintain and deepen its own development while pursuing a "gradual enlargement agenda."
Specifically, EU institutions and decision-making must remain "effective and accountable," key policies in the area of agriculture must stay on track and there must not be too much pressure on the EU budget.
A report drawn up by Rehn said the EU's integration capacity would be "reviewed at all stages of the accession process.
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Rehn called on key policymakers to stop fuelLing anti-expansion sentiment by peddling false "myths" about the negative impact of expansion.
"We need to communicate enlargement better. It is important to listen to citizens, address their concerns.
..and present factual policies," underlined Rehn.
"For enlargement to be a success, the EU must ensure the support of its citizens," he added.
Opinion polls show that many Europeans fear rising competition from low-cost eastern labourers both at home and abroad.
There is also concern about the flow of EU funds to poorer eastern countries and worries that a too-large bloc will become increasingly difficult to manage.
Rehn's report insisted that contrary to such concerns, an enlarged Union had meant a more efficient division of labour and made the EU more competitive on the global stage.
"Workers from new member states have helped to overcome skills shortages in the labour market," underlined the report.
Rehn said he also expected a resolution of the bloc's current institutional stalemate, following last year's defeat of an EU draft constitution, before new countries joined the club.
"Institutional reform is needed to improve the effectiveness of decision-making of an enlarged EU," he insisted.
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