Külügyi Szemle - A Teleki László Intézet Külpolitikai Tanulmányok Központja folyóirata - 2003 (2. évfolyam)
2003 / 2. szám - EURÓPA - Claus Juul Nielsen: Together in One Europe
Onus Juni Nielsen new opportunities. We can now to a much higher degree influence developments around us. We have gained an influence far exciding the relative size of our state. The Danish government wants to maintain this active line in our EU and NATO policy in the years to come. This requires courage and will to take the lead and think along new lines. It also requires active efforts at all levels - both in the common institutions and directly in relation to our partners. In a European Union of 25 member states results cannot be achieved without an active effort. This is as more important to realize as the Europe we took steps to create in Copenhagen will be the unifying framework for the Europe of the future and the only key for the European cooperation. To us such a co-operation must be based on common values: freedom and market economy, community and social responsibility, democracy and human rights. An efficient co-operation, which respects the specific character of the European peoples and states. It means a community of nation states. But it should be a strong community, in which the members have decided to carry out a number of tasks together by leaving competence to the EU. This strong community of nation states must have the necessary political and economic strength to add united at the international level influencing the world with the ideas on which the European Union is based. The enlargement of the EU makes it even more imperative - and also easier - to realize such a vision. But the enlargement also demands changes and reforms of the present cooperation in the EU. In less than 18 month the EU may consists of 25 member states and probably 27 from 2007. More will join in the course of time. There is an evident reason why a rising number of countries desire membership. The EU has been and remains a success. It's a place where effective decisions have been taken. It has been able to deliver. It is crucial that we maintain and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the EU also following the enlargement. We owe this to the new members and we owe it to ourselves. This is the only way for an enlarged EU to become the success that we all wants it to be. In order to achieve this we must answer two questions. What should be the tasks of the enlarged EU? What should our priorities be? The answer is: First and foremost the areas with problems of a cross-border nature. First and foremost tasks, we can only be performed by standing together and taking joined action. In the first instance, this naturally means the traditional main tasks of the EU. In the future, key areas will include, among other things, the internal market, trade policy, competition policy and state aid control. We must maintain the results we have achieved in these areas and further build on them in the enlarged EU. But the fact that we have decided on the enlargement in Copenhagen opens up for a much broader agenda for the future cooperation in the EU, an agenda where the new members speak and decide with the full weight of membership. 72 Külügyi Szemle
