2013 is “full of EU enlargement possibilities”

BELGRADE EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule and Irish European Affairs Minister Lucinda Creighton say this year is full of possibilities for the EU enlargement. In an article published by Belgrade-based daily Blic, Fule and Creighton stress that the EU will after six years accept a new member – Croatia which is expected to join the Union on July 1. 2013 is “full of EU enlargement possibilities” “The EU integration perspective remains open for the entire Western Balkans region. The accession negotiations with Iceland are going well and we are hoping to see progress when it comes to getting negotiations with Turkey back on track. Of course, the EU accession is not happening in a vacuum bearing in mind the current economic climate, people on both sides are more worried about how it will affect their lives. The enlargement process reflects the worry, it is based on strict conditions and every step forward needs to be based on true progress made on the spot and to be accepted by all factors. It is also based on learnt lessons,” Fule and Creighton stressed. They added that the enlargement represented EU’s key policy and that candidates should be aware of possibilities and to fully take advantage of the elan caused by this year’s enlargement. Fule and Creighton concluded that “this year is full of enlargement possibilities” and that it was “up to candidates and potential candidates to use the possibilities”. Stefan Fule (Tanjug, file) Blic

2013 is “full of EU enlargement possibilities”

“The EU integration perspective remains open for the entire Western Balkans region. The accession negotiations with Iceland are going well and we are hoping to see progress when it comes to getting negotiations with Turkey back on track. Of course, the EU accession is not happening in a vacuum bearing in mind the current economic climate, people on both sides are more worried about how it will affect their lives. The enlargement process reflects the worry, it is based on strict conditions and every step forward needs to be based on true progress made on the spot and to be accepted by all factors. It is also based on learnt lessons,” Fule and Creighton stressed.

They added that the enlargement represented EU’s key policy and that candidates should be aware of possibilities and to fully take advantage of the elan caused by this year’s enlargement.

Fule and Creighton concluded that “this year is full of enlargement possibilities” and that it was “up to candidates and potential candidates to use the possibilities”.