Pøíloha
è. 16
Summit
Meeting between Benelux and the Visegrad Group, Luxembourg
(5th December 2001) - Press Statement
The Prime Ministers and
Ministers of Foreign Affairs
of Benelux and the Visegrad Group held their first informal meeting
between the
two fora of cooperation in Luxembourg on December 5th. This event paves
the way
for a promising collaboration destined to bring participating countries
closer.
Thus, this cooperation fits harmoniously into the historical progress
of
unification of the European continent whose cornerstone is the
enlargement of
the European Union and NATO.
The future of Europe has been
chosen as the main
topic of this first meeting between Benelux and the Visegrad Group.
Participants have presented their visions and ideas on the following
subjects:
the development of the common foreign, security and defense policy of
the
European Union, the process of constitutionalisation of the Union, the
future
role of national parliaments in Community affairs, the question whether
it is
advisable to make the Charter of fundamental rights legally binding, as
well as
the dialogue between Governments and citizens on European issues. The
discussion
on these different points has shown much common ground among
participants'
views.
Participants confirmed the need
to fully involve the
Visegrad countries in the discussion on the future of Europe and in the
work of
the Convention that will draw up options on different subjects on the
agenda of
the next intergovernmental conference of the Union.
Participants have vowed their
attachment to those
values that underlie European construction and shape European identity.
They
have expressed their support for a gradual constitutionalisation of the
Union
as well as the emergence of a Union establishing itself more distinctly
as an
entity in international relations in the fields of politics, economics
and
security.
Participants recognized that
inspiring a greater
interest of their citizens in the European effort represents an
important
challenge to be taken up by Governments. They undertook to reflect
together on
the ways and means to improve this situation. While acknowledging the
usefulness of explaining to people the raison d'etre and the
functioning of the
Union, participants are convinced that Governments have to demonstrate
that the
current and the enlarged European Union takes into account the
expectations of
citizens. In this context, the achievement of the European social model
as well
as of the area of freedom, security and justice is especially
important.
Prime Ministers and Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of
Benelux and the Visegrad Group agreed to continue an informal and
regular
exchange of views on subjects of common interest and to deepen
political
dialogue on the level of Ministers and civil servants, with the aim of
bringing
positions closer on foreign policy and security issues and on questions
related
to the future of Europe.
The first Summit between Benelux
and the Visegrad
Group has convened an expert meeting in the course of
Participants have also agreed to
cooperate in
implementing initiatives undertaken on other European fora with respect
to the
fight against terrorism.
Prime Ministers and Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of
Benelux and the Visegrad Group countries have agreed that bringing
about a
successful conclusion of the process of EU enlargement is a vital
ingredient of
designing a future European Union. They pledged their support to the
Gothenborg
"road map", to the objective of completing accession negotiations by
the end of 2002 and to the principles of differentiation and own
merits. In
line with the conclusions of the European Council of Gothenborg, they
confirm
the objective that those candidates that are ready will participate in
the
European Parliament elections of 2004 as members. Moreover, according
to what
has been agreed in the Declaration on the future of the Union at the
European
Council of Nice, participants reiterate that those candidate countries
which
have concluded accession negotiations with the Union will be invited to
participate in the next Intergovernmental Conference.
Zdroj: http://www.visegradgroup.org