Les « relations proches » prennent le pas sur l’élargissement[en] 

The debate conveyed the message that the EU, after it takes Croatia on board, will need a period of "internal consolidation". Tellingly, the name of candidate country Turkey was almost absent in the text of the report, due to be adopted today (10 July). In fact, it was cited only in the context of establishing a Union of the Black Sea, whereas ongoing accession negotiations were not even mentioned. 

Indeed, both in the text - recently adopted by the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on the basis of a report by Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, Germany) (EurActiv 26/06/08) - and in the discussions, more space was dedicated to the Eastern neighbours. MEPs from Eastern Europe strongly advocated for the EU accession of Ukraine in particular. 

Elmar Brok said the EU needed to develop "something between the European neighbourhood policy and full-fledged membership". Then, on this basis, in each individual case it would be possible to envisage full membership, he explained. 

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn reacted to this, saying that with regard to the Western Balkans and Turkey, the Union should not impose any new intermediate stages. This would only "create doubts" among the countries already to the path to accession.  

"The EU keeps its word," added Rehn. 

Belgian MEP Veronique De Keyser (PES) said the report was not a strategy for enlargement, but rather a "defensive strategy". She warned of the risk of an "introverted approach" by countries in the Western Balkans and Turkey, where disappointment could breed hostility toward the Union. 

Adrian Severin MEP (PES, Romania) was even more outspoken and said that in the absence or real enlargement perspective, countries like Ukraine and Moldova could gravitate toward Russia. 

"We have competitors. Our digestive system is too slow," Severin stated.