Presidents of Central Europe on the importance of continuing the project of unified Europe
Mamaia, Romania, 05/27/2004 | press release
The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, visited Mamaia in Romania to participate in the 11th Meeting of Presidents of the Central European States, which this year was attended by 16 presidents of the 17 member states. At the afternoon session dedicated to the exchange of estimates on the impacts of the EU enlargement with new countries of Central Europe, and of opinions on the further enlargement process, the presidents outlined their views on the above issues.
The host of the meeting, Romania’s president Mr Ion Iliescu, stressed the importance of this meeting, which took place on the coast of the Black Sea. In his opinion, further enlargement is important both for current EU Member States as well as candidate countries. Austria’s president Thomas Klestil recalled the initial meeting bringing together the presidents of only four countries – in addition to Austria, Germany, Hungary and Czech Republic – with Germany being the only EU Member State. Today, he is in a position to greet as many as eight presidents of countries already EU Member States, which shows the exceptional development achieved by the EU in this time. The other presidents congratulated the new member states on their joining the European Union and stressed the importance of the European prospects for candidate countries. In the words of Mr Svetozar Marović, President of Serbia and Montenegro, the entry of new member states gives hope to Serbia and Montenegro to be invited, one day, to join the EU. Mr Sulejman Tihić, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that enlargement brought new stability to the Western Balkans. In the opinion of Bulgaria's president Parvanov, the European prospects for the Balkans are the best investment into peace and development of this part of Europe.
Other presidents, too, spoke of the importance of both the continuation of the project of unified Europe and the adoption of European standards, as well as of the trust between countries. At the beginning of his address, Slovenia’s president Drnovšek said that 1 May was indeed a historic day, yet only a single day. It had been preceded by a 10-year long process of adaptation and negotiations. “1 May was, on the one hand, the formal conclusion of one process, yet on the other hand, also the beginning of a second. The process of the building of the European Union continues, as do the enlargement process and the process of adapting to European standards. As a former candidate country for the EU membership we have great understanding for the countries that are still in the process of negotiations, and we support their endeavours”, said Slovenia’s president. He then went on to recall a certain enlargement fatigue noticed in some countries, and the issues regarding the efficiency of European institutions after this great expansion. “Great hopes regarding the efficiency of decision-making are placed in the EU constitutional treaty”, said Dr Drnovšek and added that the process of decision-making would not be entirely easy despite the new treaty. “It is important to continue the process of adopting the new constitutional treaty that will be providing a new framework of the EU and a new motivation for enlargement. Enlargement must continue as there is no reason for anyone not to be afforded the advantage of the European prospects. The EU is not an elitist club, it is a community of states wishing to work together and co-operate on the basis of common values and goals. “We, Member States, will continue to be faced with a certain pragmatism in decision-making, in particular when dealing with the issues of the new financial perspective. And even the issues of this type should not make us forget that Europe is much more than an economic and monetary integration”, added Slovenia’s president, and noted that the European prospects were essential for the countries of South-East Europe and that every assistance had to be provided to them on their way towards integration with Europe.
After the plenary session of the presidents, Dr Drnovšek held bilateral talks with Bulgaria’s president Georgi Parvanov, who will be visiting Slovenia in October. In president Parvanov’s words, Bulgaria hopes for Slovenia’s support in its process of forging closer ties with the EU, and will continue to be a factor of stability in the Balkans. Mr Parvanov then presented Slovenia’s president with an invitation to the forum on the cultural heritage of South-East Europe, to be held next year in Bulgaria under the auspices of UNESCO. Dr Drnovšek assured Mr Parvanov of Slovenia’s support for Bulgaria’s integration into the EU and stressed the importance of co-operation between the two countries that have even a better co-operation potential in the new frameworks, both being very well acquainted with the circumstances in the Balkans.
Dr Drnovšek then held a meeting with Moldova’s president, Mr Vladimir Voronin, who will be on an official visit to Slovenia on 9 and 10 June. President Drnovšek and president Voronin will participate in the meeting of the East-West Institute, to be held on 10 June at Brdo pri Kranju.
