The Community has successfully negotiated "Europe" Agreements with Hungary, Poland and the Czechoslovak Republic. Agreements with Romania and Bulgaria are being finalised, and new Agreements with the Czech and Slovak Republics individually will follow. The Europe Agreements provide for increasingly close political and economic association between these countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Community. But although Association has an inherent value in itself, the Central and Eastern European countries look towards eventual Community membership as the basis for their political and economic development and stability. The Commission recognises this goal and called on the Edinburgh European Council to confirm that it accepts this goal once the applicants are able to satisfy the conditions required. I very much hope that the next European Council will decide formally that it accepts this goal and that it is the policy of the Community to invite the countries of Eastern and Central Europe to join us as members as soon as they can meet the obligations that all members have to accept. In the meantime the Europe agreements provide a stable framework for the development of our partnership across a range of activities. On the economic front, they provide signatories with improved access to EC markets, and establish frameworks for economic, technical and financial cooperation, designed to help support the reform process, the transition to market economies and to accelerate economic development. The Agreements, even before their full implementation, represent a very real opening up of Community markets. For instance, from 1 March last year, over half of the exports from the Visegrad countries (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) came into the EC without duty or quantitative restriction. From the beginning of this year, that figure was raised to about 60% and from 1 January 1998 it will be about 85%. There are already signs that this improved market access is benefitting these countries. Nonetheless, these agreements should not be regarded as set in stone. We may well need to update, change or widen their scope to reflect developments in the countries concerned and in the Community itself. It would be difficult to over-emphasise the importance of trade in the development of economies; it is rightly an essential part of the Community's strategy that trade should play a major part, alongside investment aid, and technical cooperation in the Community's approach to our Eastern neighbours. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the development of trade is the most cost-effective and valuable contribution that we can make towards helping them. For last month's European Council at Edinburgh, the Commission produced a report suggesting a range of new measures designed both to extend and speed up implementation of the Europe Agreements. These proposals include the accelerated opening-up of Community markets to eastern and central European countries; technical assistance in making the legal systems of these countries more compatible with EC systems; a refocusing of cooperation programmes in the economic, technical and financial fields; and a deepening of the political dialogue. I intend to make it a priority to seek to persuade the Council of Ministers to adopt measures of this kind designed to speed up integration. In particular, I believe it would be a great help to these economies if we could improve access to the Community market in sectors of particular importance to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. In its report, the Commission pointed out the need to shorten the transition periods for the Community's dismantling of customs duties and quantitative restrictions for all products. It also called for improved market access for food products and for textiles. It is vital not to lose this opportunity to help our Eastern neighbours secure their own economic and political stability. Moreover, if we are successful, the advantages to the Community itself will be considerable. If the economies of Eastern and Central Europe thrive, their demand for European Community products is bound to grow. Our industries and those working in them will derive the benefit. I recognise that this is a difficult economic time for Community Member States and sectors such as agriculture, steel and textiles, which are areas of great importance to the countries to our East are also extremely sensitive within the Community. Nonetheless, we have to ask ourselves: Is the Community merely paying lip-service to the need to help our Eastern neighbours, or is the commitment real? I am sure that the commitment is a genuine one. The prospect of fully returning the countries of Eastern and Central Europe to the family of European nations has captured the imagination of millions of ordinary citizens in the Community, particularly the young. A real commitment to bring this about is bound to involve making difficult choices. It is my firm view that the Community must find ways of meeting this challenge. * * *
