Meeting | News Releases | United Europe Should Reach as Far as its Values Reach, Says Kucan at End of Summit

United Europe Should Reach as Far as its Values Reach, Says Kucan at End of Summit

Brdo pri Kranju, 1 June

A united Europe should reach as far as its values reach, Slovene President Milan Kucan stressed at a press conference on Saturday upon the conclusion of a two-day summit of Central European presidents, speaking on behalf of all 16 participating heads of state. According to Kucan, the presidents shared the view that "forces of reconciliation should be strengthened in order for the future not to become a history of new wars", whilst also concluding that a united Europe is their "common destiny". The general view is that the meeting was a success, Kucan added.

The discussions on the EU, one of the focal points of this summit, established that the present moment is a crucial time for Europe, as events that are unfolding will mark the common future, Kucan said in a reference to the final stage of the EU accession process. In this light, he also reminded of the expected decision on NATO expansion, which is scheduled to be made at November's NATO summit in Prague. All this has resulted in a positive development, which has changed the image of Europe and bridged some of the previous divisions, Kucan underlined, summarising the results of the summit.

According to Kucan, the presidents also stressed the need for "open and reasoned dialogue with the citizens of all countries - EU members, candidates and others - in the frame of this integration process". Such a dialogue, said Kucan, "would clarify the purpose" of this process and the consequences for the people, while working to prevent resistance, which occurs when citizens feel insecure and afraid about the changes that may result. Moreover, such fear and insecurity can also result in a "fertile ground for national egotism", which is in turn exploited by those propagating xenophobia and nationalism, Kucan added.

Furthermore, it was agreed that the enlargement and the subsequent institutional reforms should ensure that the integration process has a positive effect on the EU's decision-making capacity, Kucan said. He also pointed out that the presidents highlighted the negative effects that would result if enlargement was not realised or was delayed. Once again, Kucan reiterated that the presidents agreed that Central Europe must be an active factor in this integration, especially given the fact that a stabile South-eastern Europe is a requisite for stability in Europe.

The presidents "could not go past the image of the world and circumstances brought about by globalisation", Kucan told the press. He added that the talks at the summit were marked by the recent establishment of the NATO-Russia council and the work of the Convention which is laying the groundwork for the future institutional reforms of Europe. The latter, said Kucan, should "help map out such a destiny of Europe which will help it attain its plurality on the inside" whilst allowing it to act as one on a global level, thus creating the conditions for the organisation to have political influence in the world.

The presidents also reviewed the negative effects of globalisation and discussed the urgent need to face the resulting negative effects, such as terrorism, organised international crime and illegal migrations. The shared belief was that by getting engaged in intensive co- operation, Europe could "serve as a good example of how these negative effects could be alleviated or at least limited".

The presidents also welcomed today's joint statement by the Yugoslav and Croatian presidents that is aimed at further improvement of their bilateral relations. "We welcome this decision ... and we hope that this move will be followed by action," Kucan told the press. Moreover, the hope is that these two countries will continue to promote internal reforms, which would allow them to take another step on their path to the EU, he added.

Kucan also reminded that next year's traditional meeting will be staged in Salzburg, the original birthplace of the idea for such summits. As regards the future of such meetings, Kucan said that there is a general commitment for them to continue as long as the presidents will see them beneficial and will recognise them as an opportunity to strengthen mutual confidence.

Drawing the conclusions on the success of this meeting, the Slovene president stressed that the debates showed "a great degree of solidarity" and understanding among the presidents, who "carefully listened to one another" despite the differences in views that may have existed.

STA (Slovene Press Agency)