Agenda 2000 5/97 Supplement [antikvár]

IntroductionThe Madrid European Council in December 1995 reaffirmed that the necessary décisions for launching the accession negotiations with the countries applying for European Union membership would be taken within six months of the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) and in the light of its out-come. It called on the Commission to submit as soon as possible after the IGC the opinions on the individual applications and to embark on the préparation of a composite paper on enlargement. It further asked the Commission to undertake a detailed analysis of the European Union's financing system in order to submit, immediately after the IGC, a communication on the future financial framework of the Union as from 31 December 1999, having regard to the prospect of enlargement.The present Agenda 2000 communication, together with the opinions on each application for accession, constitutes the comprehensive Commission reply to these requests. It outlines in a single framework the broad perspectives for the development of the Union and its policies beyond the turn of the century, the horizontal issues related to enlargement, and the future financial framework beyond 2000 taking account of the prospect of an enlarged Union.Enlargement plays a far greater role in Agenda 2000 than in any of the large financial packages of the past. The number of applicant countries and the différences between them are greater than ever before, and they will all be net recipients of Community funds. Moreover, both the policy reforms and the absorption of new members will have to be accommodated in a tight budgetary framework.What has been achieved since the Single ActEurope has undergone considérable changes in the space of a single decade. Two successive enlargements have raised the number of Mem-ber States to 15. Two major Treaty reforms the Single Act and the Treaty on European Union have radically modified the Union's institutional and political framework. And two comprehensive financial packages have rede-S. 5/97fined the objectives and means of integration that have accompanied these changes.These developments contributed to a new dynamic of integration paralleled only by that of the early years of the Communities. The launching of the single market was instrumental to this process, as was the unprecedented effort of solidarity between Member States expressed in the rapid development of economic and social cohésion policies. The road to economic and monetary union (EMU), which was opened up by the Single Act and formally established in the Maastricht Treaty, further strengthened this development by encouraging greater economic stability and confidence.This regained momentum in the history of European integration was based on both a strong and evolutive treaty framework and on sound and stable medium-term financial perspectives, coupled with an interinstitutional consensus on the need for budgetary discipline and moderation in the development of Union policies. In spite of the considérable expansion of Union action over the past decade, the Community budget has stayed well below the expenditure ceilings. In actual payments, the 1997 budget remains at 1.17% of GNP in comparison with a financial perspective ceiling of 1.23% of GNP.But the historie accélération of the pace of European integration in this past decade was also influenced by outside events. The end of the Cold War and the break-up of the Soviet Union opened up new horizons of international coopération, and propelled the Union into a key role for promoting change and stability across Europe. This was notably the case through its support for German unification, and the major assistance effort for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs). The 1993 Copenhagen European Council opened up the perspective of enlargement towards these countries. Subsequently, an ambitious strategy of pre-accession was launched at Essen.Closer relations have also been established with the New Independent States emanating from the former Soviet Union and with the countries on the southern and eastern rim of the Mediter-ranean. Similarly, the breadth and strength of the Union's relations with the West European11