§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requirements are placed on applicants for membership of the European Union as regards accepting all the currently applicable decisions and conclusions of European Councils; and what the basis is for such requirements. [105128]
§ Mr. VazIn order to become members of the EU, applicants must meet the criteria agreed at the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 (annexed).
At the opening of the accession negotiations with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland and Slovenia on 31 March 1998, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, representing the Presidency, laid down the principles for negotiation, emphasising the necessity of
full acceptance of the actual and potential rights and obligations attaching to the Union system and its institutional framework, known as the 'acquis' of the Union".This includes the decisions and conclusions of European Councils. The applicant's acceptance of the 'acquis' may give rise to technical adjustments, and exceptionally to non-permanent transitional measures. The same principles will govern the accession negotiations with Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Slovakia, which will begin in February 2000.