§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards EU enlargement. [69872]
§ Peter HainExcellent progress was made under the Spanish presidency, which agreed EU positions on the four final chapters for negotiation, in line with the "road map" agreed at Nice. The Seville European Council reiterated the EU's commitment to completing negotiations with the best-prepared candidates by the end of the year, so they can join the EU in time to take part in the 2004 European Parliament elections. The UK is firmly committed to this timetable, first proposed by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in 2000. I0 candidate countries are on track to complete negotiations this year, having closed between 23 and 28 of the 30 chapters.