Posted on 10/14/2005 12:01:59 PM PDT by Lukasz
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) - Heads of state from central and southeast Europe insisted Friday that European Union enlargement continue and include Turkey as well as the Balkan states that emerged from the bloody wars of the 1990s.
Despite the 25-country bloc's difficulty in agreeing on common constitution, the EU must carry on to include Bulgaria and Romania by 2007, and eventually Croatia and Turkey, according to the 15 leaders attending a summit in Zagreb to discuss European integration and expansion.
"The integration process ... has no alternative, and it must not be stopped or thrown in doubt," Croatian President Stipe Mesic said in an opening speech.
Last year, the EU added 10 new members, mostly former communist countries in Eastern Europe.
"The border of Europe is not set by this river or that ... but rather by the final outreach of European values, tradition and culture," Mesic said.
"Europe ... is inconceivable without Russia and - let us be frank - hardly to be imagined without Turkey."
Nevertheless, politicians in several European countries have expressed reservations about admitting the largely poor, majority-Muslim country with a rapidly growing population of 70 million.
Turkey opened accession talks with the bloc on Oct. 3, but only after last-minute crisis talks over objections from Austria.
At the Zagreb summit, which ends Saturday, seven countries represented were EU members, while the others were either negotiating entry or angling for better ties with the bloc.
Mesic said the diversity of states attending presented a "unique opportunity" to consider "models for completing European integration processes."
Croatia opened membership talks with the EU on Oct. 4 in hopes of joining by 2009. Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina have been struggling toward forming closer ties with the bloc.
Poland's President Aleksander Kwasniewski - whose country joined the EU last year - said that while the EU's moves to include Bulgaria, Romania and eventually Croatia and Turkey were "very meaningful," the EU needed to "show solidarity and openness" toward the ex-Yugoslav nations "painfully affected in the aftermath of recent warfare and ethnic divisions."
Kwasniewski also said European integration would be incomplete without Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said Europe could have no joint future until "it has encompassed all ... particularly eastern states" in the Balkans that have endured the "tragic drama" of war in the 1990s.
The summit - previously known as the Central European Initiative - began in 1994 in Prague with mostly eastern-bloc countries attending.
This year's summit in Zagreb is the initiative's largest gathering, including business leaders, bankers and heads of state from Italy, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia-Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Moldova.
Security was high, with more than 2,000 police and security officials on duty for the event. Downtown city traffic virtually halted.
Mesic also warned during his speech that the rejection of the proposed EU constitution by French and Dutch voters earlier this year had shown a need for discussing new approaches to integration.
The failed referendums effectively halted the effort to adopt a new charter, which would have streamlined decision-making in the bloc and provided for an EU foreign minister and president.
The constitution's rejection also cast doubt on the EU's commitment to expansion, just months before the start of accession talks with Croatia and Turkey.
"It is time to define or even redefine the concept of Europe," Mesic said. "We stand together before a historic challenge to ... seek new paths and new solutions."
Croatia went to war with Serbia to be self governed and influenced by nobody only to hope that she becomes governed and influenced by Europe in general. Idiots.
Well, I think that this is not so simple. Being member of the EU, doesn’t mean that you are not independent.
There are certain "requirements" that a country has to meet in order to be considered. There are certain "requirements" in order to maintain your membership. And there are certain criteria that would allow the EU to toss you out as well. So, you tell me how independent that is. You just can't join, you have to assimilate first.
Also, the EU then reserves the right to even influence your domestic policy such as gays in the military. (There are already cases on this subject) The way your country does its banking, trade, and so on.
The EU is not just some club it's an economic answer to the United States. It's a race for global influence and resources.
Yes but it is your decision and economical profit is a fact. This is something like signing plenty of the international pacts and agreements.
Also, the EU then reserves the right to even influence your domestic policy such as gays in the military. (There are already cases on this subject) The way your country does its banking, trade, and so on.
Not true, some EU countries allow gays to serve in military and some not, Brussels has nothing to say here.
The EU is not just some club it's an economic answer to the United States. It's a race for global influence and resources.
I hope that you don’t think in such categories that everything what is going on in the world is the answer to the United States and hasn’t any deeper sense. Beside economic competition is healthy a lot more than military conflicts.
At least it's a bit more complicated than it was, say, about six months ago. Before that it was "do you want an EU in the French image or in the French one?"
You are right, this idea with constitution was sick.
Yeah, thanks God the French didn't want "the EU in the French image" :-)))
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