[eccr] Candidate countries positions on Future EU

Title: Candidate countries positions on Future EU

Candidate countries positions on Future EU

In short:
The Convention on the Future of the EU will be launched on 28 February 2002. It will debate how the EU can be reformed to receive new Member States. The 13 candidate countries are represented in the Convention as full members, without, however, being able to prevent any consensus that may emerge among the Member States. 

Here are the available candidate countries' positions for the future EU reform (more to come later): 

Czech Republic
    
*    the Convention should propose a recommendation with several options for the inter-governmental conference 
*    the Czech Republic should attend the inter-governmental conference following the Convention, as a full member in 2004 
*    the Czech Republic should have its own Commissioner in the early stages of membership 
*    the EU should play a significant political role in the world consistent with its economic power 
*    the EU should be socially just, ecologically sensitive and politically integrated 
*    efforts should be made to avoid the emergence of a 'hard core' of Member States 
*    any system of enhanced flexibility must be open and accept new members at any time 
*    efforts to shift decision-making powers to the lowest possible level must not affect the role of the supranational institutions 
*    EU treaties and legislation should be simplified, and if necessary repealed 
*    the role of the Commission should be reinforced, especially its role as an independent guarantor that agreements are respected 
*    the Commission President should be elected by the European Parliament 
*    the powers of the European Parliament should be increased, especially in areas related to the budget 
*    a second chamber of European Parliament should be formed 
*    the scope of qualified majority voting should be increased 
*    the EU constitution should include the EU Charter of Basic Rights
Hungary
    
*    Hungary should have voting rights in the Convention once its EU Accession Treaty is initialled 
*    a more integrated EU 
*    the EU should integrate further 
*    there should not be a two-speed Europe with a closer integration of a "core" of Member States in some policy areas 
*    the EU institutions should not be radically reformed 
*    national governments should play a bigger role in the EU 
*    there should be more qualified majority voting 
*    EU decision-making should be made more effective 
*    the EU should obtain more powers in areas of food safety and border control 
*    there should be more subsidiarity in the areas of farming, environment and taxation 
*    the Commission President should be directly elected
Lithuania
    
*    a successful enlargement is a precondition to a successful future for the EU 
*    the main principle of the EU reform should be evolution, not revolution 
*    the development of the EU institutions should be gradual 
*    EU institutions should be strengthened to gurarantee better protection of the interests of smaller Member States 
*    the applied rules of closer co-operation are sufficient 
*    the principle of solidarity should be maintained within an enlarged EU

Poland
    
*    the EU should develop into a federation, but respecting the nation states and their diversities 
*    there should be no centralised "superstate" 
*    Poland should take a leading role in the EU's foreign policy toward Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics 
*    the EU should have an "eastern dimension" 
*    the principle of solidarity should be preserved 
*    EU institutions should become more open and efficient 
*    the EU should have "a modern constitution"
Romania
    
*    there should not be "a uniform Europe" 
*    the EU should preserve and encourage the diversity of European cultures 
*    the main objective of the EU should be elimination of the prosperity divide between Member States 
*    the EU should move beyond the ambition of a 'European market' in order to become a 'European power' 
*    not only EU Member States and candidate countries, but also neighbouring countries should be consulted on the reform 
*    Romania should lead the EU's "strategic approach" towards Moldavia, Ukraine and Belarus
Slovenia
    
*    Slovenia should participate in all levels of the decision-making process to establish the common future 
*    Slovenia should participate in the inter-governmental conference 
*    the inter-governmental conference should be held no sooner than in 2004 
*    diversity and the national identities should be protected within the EU 
*    the inter-governmental conference should identify the national policies which should remain the exclusive competence of Member States 
*    the balance of power between larger and smaller Member States should be preserved 
*    the EU treaties should be simplified 
*    national parliaments should play a bigger role

Source: http://www.euractiv.com/cgi-bin/cgint.exe/