” “The reform process” “” “

The European Council meeting in Laeken essentially marked the end of the Belgian Presidency. On 1st January Spain will assume the leadership of Europe for six months. The conclusions of the Laeken Summit concern in the first place the Future of the Union. The Laeken Declaration and the decision to set up the Convention (see fact files on the following page) have the objective of preparing the next intergovernmental Conference for the reform of the Treaties; concurrently with the work of the Convention, the European Council will take steps to simplify Community legislation, where possible without modifying the Treaties. As regards the introduction of the Euro, the Fifteen emphasize “the decisive importance for the construction of Europe” of a “concrete and visible instrument of the European project”. On the fundamental problem of the European policy of security and defence, in spite of the stalled process of reaching agreement with NATO due to Greek opposition to the full participation of Turkey, the Heads of State and of Government affirmed that “the Union is now able to conduct crisis management operations”, though the need to develop suitable means and capabilities remains. As regards enlargement, the Summit confirmed the irreversible commitment to conclude the negotiations for the first group of ten countries by the end of 2002: this would permit – once the process of membership ratification by the national Parliaments has been completed – the participation of the new Members in the European elections scheduled for 2004. In relation to Afghanistan, while expressing its satisfaction for the recent Bonn accord that laid the basis for an interim government, the European Council recalled the absolute priority of humanitarian aid, confirmed the appointment of Klaus-Peter Klaiber as EU Special Representative for Afghanistan under the authority of Javier Solana and urged the deployment in the country of a UN-mandated international security force with the participation of EU member countries, individually considered. The fight against terrorism is proceeding in conformity with the international plan of action adopted in September: the approval of the European arrest warrant and the judicial and financial decisions taken by the Union represent a concrete demonstration of the EU contribution to the world alliance against terrorism and the economic interests linked to it. The Summit also pronounced on the question of the economic situation, emphasizing the current period of “decelerating growth and uncertainty” due to the world situation, but expressing its confidence that there would be a progressive recovery in the course of 2002, following the predicted reduction of inflation, the necessary respect for the criteria of the stability Pact and the progress registered in the field of European social legislation and employment. In the chapter dedicated to the reinforcement of the European space of freedom, security and justice, the Fifteen pledge to realize as soon as possible a “real asylum and immigration policy”, proposing its integration into the Union’s foreign policy, the development of a European system of information, the adoption of common EU regulations in terms of asylum and the rights of immigrants to be joined by members of their family, and the formulation of specific programmes aimed at combating discrimination and racism. The Laeken Summit was also an occasion to welcome the establishment of Eurojust and the forthcoming adoption of a framework decision on the European arrest warrant. The fifth chapter of the Conclusions tackles the question of the EU’s foreign relations: with a Declaration on the Middle East, the Council appeals to Israelis and Palestinians to resume their dialogue on the basis of UN Resolutions and the Mitchell Plan: it urges Israel to recognize the negotiating authority of Arafat and the latter to crack down on the terrorist attacks of Islamic fundamentalists. The Summit also reaffirmed EU commitment to reconstruction and stability in the Balkans, and the democratization and development of the African continent, accompanied by measures of aid to development and debt reduction. Lastly, the Summit deferred a decision on the assignment of headquarters for the new Agencies.