EU's strategic interests concerning EU enlargement

EU enlargement has substantially underpinned peace in Europe, amongst other things by putting paid to the division of the continent imposed by the Iron Curtain.

To build on previous waves of enlargement, Parliament's Committee on External Affairs has evaluated them and drafted recommendations for future enlargements.

The Greens believe that EU enlargement can make an important contribution to conflict prevention.

But for this policy to be credible the EU must practise internally what it preaches on the outside with respect both to fundamental rights-related issues and to social and environmental policies.

The Greens succeeded in introducing passages that emphasise the positive impact of enlargement on conflict prevention, as well as demands that the Member States must continue to respect fundamental rights after joining the Union.

This is important with respect to Hungary, for example.

Thanks to our amendments, Parliament now requires accession candidates to adapt their social policies to include civil society, the social partners and all stakeholders in the accession process, making it more inclusive and transparent.

In general, the Greens were satisfied with the result.

Since Parliament's opinion on foreign affairs is not legally binding, conflict over issues in this domain is rare.