Tuesday 15 December 2009

European Union Enlargement

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the EU’s enlargement strategy on 26 November 2009. In it, MEPs reaffirm their commitment to continued enlargement “of the area of peace, security and prosperity in Europe” but highlight the importance of strictly respecting the Copenhagen criteria and the absorption capacity of the EU.

The resolution also points out that if enlargement is to be supported by citizens, both in current and future EU member states, it is essential that they get “clear and comprehensive information on the advantages and consequences of this policy”.

At a Council meeting on 7 December 2009, Serbia moved slightly closer to applying for EU membership. Serbia’s movement towards membership was halted by the Netherlands, which has put increased pressure on Serbia to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, but foreign ministers activated an interim trade agreement with Serbia, and moves are being made to unfreeze the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

Find the EP resolution at the following link: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2009-0097+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN

Information provided by Rebecca Steel-Jasińska, TRIALOG

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