§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a396W statement on paragraph 1 of the Laeken conclusions, with particular reference to the inclusion of the concept of irreversibility. [39631]
§ Peter HainThe opening paragraph of the Laeken conclusions refers to three of the EU' s main projects—the introduction of the single currency, enlargement and the Future of Europe debate. The Gothenburg European Council in June 2001 noted the impressive progress in the enlargement negotiations and observed that
The enlargement process is irreversible".At Laeken, in December, the European Council confirmed the continued good progress of the negotiations and reiterated the irreversible nature of the process. The 397W Government remain committed to the timetable for enlargement agreed at Gothenburg and reinforced at Laeken.