Tag: Laeken summit

The European Union's enlargement process risks sidelining the public, which may threaten the public support for enlargement as well as the Union's record of transparency and openness, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned. It proposes that the EU should attempt to remedy this situation by seeking public input on official positions and making its negotiating positions publicly available.

The Spanish government of Prime Minister Aznar is taking over the EU Presidency from Belgium on 1 January 2002. Spain's foreign minister Josep Piqué, presented the priorities of the future Spanish Presidency on 17 December at a press conference in Brussels.

The leaders of the 15 Member States named a list of ten candidate countries eligible to join the EU in 2004 at the Laeken summit on 15 December. Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic and Slovenia could be ready to join if the present rate of progress of the negotiations and reforms in the candidate countries is maintained.

Contrary to some first news out of the Laeken Summit, not Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok, but French former President Giscard d'Estaing has been nominated as Chairman of the future EU Convention. Mr. Giscard d'Estaing got the support of France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain and the UK. He will be assisted by two vice-chairmen, Mr. Jean-Luc Dehaene, former Belgian Prime Minister and Giuliano Amato, the former Italian premier. The EU leaders also adopted the "Laeken Declaration", preparing the way for a debate on the future of the EU.