EU Enlargement One Year After - a Slovak Perspective
Address by H.E. Mrs.
Magdaléna
Vášáryová
State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic
at the European Union Studies Center, City University of New York,
2 May 2005
Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests,
It is almost a year to the day since the former soviet part of Central Europe became an integral part of the EU, based on western European values of democracy, rule of law and market economy. As is well known, throughout history, nations like Slovaks were rarely masters of their own fates. Or in more political language – independent subjects of international relations. (Till the 20th century part of the Austrian Empire, after 1918 – especially after the Paris Peace Conference – they gained independence for the very first time, supported by President W. Wilson. From 1938, this space was destroyed by Hitler and after 1948 by Stalin). From that time – they were the subject (or object) of power-political interests in the Cold War. Their place on the map of Europe was the red-coloured part of the Soviet Union. Not only were these countries part of the Eastern Bloc for almost half a century, they were also isolated politically, socially and culturally from the democratic and prosperous countries.
The novelty of the May 1, 2004 is that the integration of ten countries including the Slovak Republic into a larger unit was voluntary. As the political analysts say: the relative power void in central Europe that emerged after the Cold War has gradually been filled by European norms and multilateral institutions from the West, rather than on the basis of a traditional pattern of clashing interests of major external powers seeking to establish hegemony over the region for centuries. That makes the profound difference. “The EU has progressively extended its zone of peace and democracy and market economy across the big part of European continent.”(Oli Rehn in Financial Times 4.1.2005)
As you probably know, Slovakia had to catch up with its neighbours from the Visegrad 4 opening the entry negotiations over two years later due to the problems of the then Slovak Government to fulfil the Copenhagen Criteria. After the important elections of 1998, this obstacle was quickly overcome and Slovakia, with the help of its friends from the V4, speedily proceeded in the negotiations. In the end we closed all the negotiation chapters among the first candidate countries. We even finished the negotiations earlier than some of our partners who originally belonged to the so-called “First Group” (for example Poland and the Czech Republic). The dynamism that started after 1998 has persisted up till now and has been bringing positive results in the social and economic reforms that Slovakia carries out today.
These reforms, such as introduction of the flat 19 percent tax, reform of the social security and health care systems, have not been easy. They were sometimes difficult to explain to the public and thus caused the Government lose some of its popularity. Nevertheless, the reforms have started to bring its fruit. Let’s hope that in the end the public will enjoy its “taste”. On top of that, it is comforting that even within the EU context, the Slovak reforms have often been seen as the model worth following.
The last round of EU enlargement has put also new strains on the Union’s institutions. This process, however is not perceived by us as an automatic enlargement of current policies on the new member states. We, newcomers, foster the idea, that the fact of enlargement was reflected already in the process of the preparation of all the policies. At the same time by shifting its border to the east, the EU, all of us, now faces a new and highly challenging geopolitical environment.
However, let us address the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), because Slovakia assumed its share of responsibility for this wide-ranging area upon its accession to the European Union.
When drawing up Slovakia's mid-term foreign policy strategy – until 2015 – a rapport was established between Slovakia's foreign policy priorities and the main concerns of the European CFSP. From the global aspect of the CFSP, Slovak diplomacy is actively involved in the Middle East peace process and the rebuilding of Iraq.
But the focal point of Slovak diplomacy is concentrating on the conception and implementation of European policy in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, through the European Neighbourhood Policy – a topic I would like to expand upon.
After Croatia failed to open negotiations with the EU, Slovakia, as a supporter of its future membership, initiated a discussion on Croatia at a meeting of the European Council on 22 and 23 March 2005. The Council's decision to establish a Task Force, in order to establish whether Croatia has demonstrated sufficient cooperation with the ICTY to enable the commencement of accession negotiations, entirely corresponds to Slovakia's viewpoint. We are convinced that this southern neighbour of the EU must be approached in a constructive manner. (The issue of full cooperation with the ICTY is a sine qua non)
The NATO and USA represent the main pillar of Euro-Atlantic security. The current state of relations and interests within a multinational Europe does not permit the establishment of an effective security structure without their participation. Although we perceive the strengthening of the European security pillar as essential, it must take the form of a complementary relationship with NATO and transatlantic security policy. Only a strong, cohesive, European security policy can strengthen transatlantic relations with guaranteed support on the part of the USA and therefore the security of the Euro-Atlantic area. Strong European defence must be a permanent part of a robust North Atlantic Alliance.
We also regard participation in missions promoting security, stability, and democracy, particularly amongst our neighbours as being of utmost importance. If we fail to bring security and stability to other regions, we can only expect them to export instability.
I do not intend to deal with economic issues today. But with regard to the year that has just passed since the latest EU enlargement, I would like to mention, pars pro toto, the New Financial Perspective of the EU. It is an area in which the engagement, coordination, and cooperation of new member states is necessary, in order to ensure respect for our interests to the greatest possible level. When addressing this issue, Slovakia's position stems from principles such as solidarity and cohesion, which are essential for fair aid intensity and therefore the attainment of development impulses. How else can new members catch up with the old than through economic growth and competitiveness? Slovakia, thanks to its rapid and thorough implementation of wide-ranging reforms, has already established all the necessary domestic conditions for economic growth. In this regard, it has surpassed not only other newcomers, but also the older member states.
“The European Neighbourhood Policy’s main aim is stabilisation.
Opinions have been heard that the accession to the EU will lead to an isolation of Eastern Europe. Our accession was in no way an expression of our intention to build barriers. The opposite. It has had - as the Orange revolution proved - a motivational effect on our neighbour Ukraine.
We have adopted a very open and straightforward viewpoint concerning Ukraine. The positive impression left by Ukraine's Orange Revolution is not the only condition for its accession. EU membership is a matter of social readiness, which is an exceedingly complicated issue. Along their path, our Ukrainian partners will often be subjected to criticism, and compelled to undertake a range of unpopular reforms. After all, Slovakia only became an acceptable EU candidate when its most important political transformation took place – when we finally understood that democratic reforms and painful changes were primarily in our own interests, and not in those of the EU. Slovak NGOs also contributed to this attitude. They played an important role in building civil society, and are now drawing up projects promoting civil society in Ukraine.
This is why, as part of
the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Slovak Republic is concentrating upon
Ukraine, with which it intends to cooperate closely in its implementation of the
Action Plan. But while celebrating Ukraine's success, we should not forget its
smaller neighbour, Belarus. All we want to achieve for now are elementary rights
and freedoms, such as the right to democratic elections, free enterprise, fair
trials, and access to information.
The European Union's inability to intervene in the Balkans at the beginning of the 1990s prompted the development of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and especially the European Security and Defence Policy. The first decade of the new millennium has given the EU a chance to redress the balance. We cannot wait for a third opportunity.
In June 2003, the Thessaloniki Summit approved a declaration stating that the countries of the Western Balkans, including Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia, are potential EU member states. The declaration emphasised that the Stabilisation and Association Process offered to these countries should promote reforms in the Western Balkans, just as the association process did in Central Europe. The obligations stemming from Slovakia's membership of the EU and NATO provide serious grounds for our activity in the region. But in addition, I could mention a whole range of other reasons (a common history, the similarity of language, the presence of a Slovak minority and the consequent empathy this produces), as well as the structural remnants of dictatorship and our experience in overcoming them.
Slovakia categorically supports the concept of EU membership for the countries of the Western Balkans (the cited example of Croatia confirms this), and we have adopted a number of approaches in order to help them along their path towards this aim:
- by communicating and sharing our own experiences during the integration process;
- by raising the issue in all the relevant forums, thus keeping it topical;
- by employing our knowledge of the region to help promote attitudes throughout the international community that support long-term, lasting solutions for the Western Balkans;
- by providing Official Development Aid (ODA) trilaterally, in cooperation with the Canadian CIDA or the UNDP as co-donors. Five trilateral projects are currently being implemented in Serbia and Montenegro, and one apiece in Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- and last but not least, by creating a mechanism for communicating information about the Western Balkans on a European level, and for the provision of feedback. This mechanism is highly functional and appreciated by both sides, because working contacts at the Foreign Ministerial level – and indeed on expert levels as a whole – currently exceed expectations.
Slovakia as the EU country and the UN
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Here in New York, I simply cannot refrain from mentioning my country's
relationship, as a new EU member, with the UN. The fact that Slovakia has become
a member of European and Euro-Atlantic structures has fundamentally changed both
its status and the perception of its size. Its physical dimensions have become
less important, and have indeed faded into the background in many aspects of
international relations. Its new Euro-Atlantic status has helped ensure that the
Slovak Republic is now perceived as a serious and responsible candidate for
membership of the UN SC in 2006-2007. Of course, this can also be attributed to
Slovakia's own efforts. Slovakia has the potential to assist the effective
functioning of the UN SC. It can enrich the complex decision-making processes by
passing on expertise gained through its unique experiences with an initially
complicated, and ultimately highly accelerated, process of transformation – both
on the domestic political scene and in the demanding development of good
relations with its neighbours (the Czech Republic and Hungary), and cooperative,
regional relations (the V4). Slovakia has also proved its ability as a mediator
of solutions to the crises in the Western Balkans and Cyprus, and as an active
contributor to peacekeeping missions headed by the UN, NATO, and the EU.
Conclusion
The first year since EU enlargement has witnessed no "overstretch" Slovakia has been enriched by greater faith in its own strength and its European future.
The first year has brought:
- a qualitative improvement in our international status;
- the enhancement of Slovak foreign policy through the addition of new dimensions.
Although it has been a demanding year from the aspect of domestic politics – a year in which we faced many challenges when implementing a multitude of European Union policies – political leaders have demonstrated their ability to bear the burden of unpopular measures, and citizens have confirmed their willingness to support often-painful reforms.
But most importantly – our return to Europe is now a natural, everyday part of people's lives. Our pre-EU past, which I referred to at the beginning of my speech, has truly become part of Slovakia's history.
Thank you for your attention.