EU sets three main priorities

JAKARTA (JP): This year will be an onerous time for the European Union. Critical developments are scheduled to take place that could set the tone for the EU as it enters the next millennium.

As president of the EU for the first half of the year, the Netherlands will have their hands full.

"Our presidency comes at a very important moment in the development of the European Union," Dutch Ambassador to Jakarta, Paul Brouwer, said in a recent interview.

The Netherlands took over the rotational seat of the EU from Ireland at the beginning of this year. It will be succeeded in July by Luxembourg.

Three main priorities have been set up for the Dutch six month presidency of the EU.

The first is the successful conclusion of the Inter- governmental Conference which will hopefully direct the EU into the next century. This will include institutional housecleaning in anticipation of new members and establishing sharper definitions for the EU's political objectives.

The Inter-governmental Conference, which began in March last year, will probably set the EU on a smooth course for the coming years. It will also gauge the success of the Dutch presidency.

Despite already committing themselves to concluding the conference by the middle of this year, it remains to be seen whether political will can overcome the continued squabbling and persistent obstacles remaining.

The Netherlands will have their hands full in trying to reconcile these differences when the EU meet to conclude the conference in Amsterdam later this year.

The second priority is preparation for the European Monetary Union (EMU). The Dutch presidency will have to lay the ground work in determining which EU members will join the third stage of the EMU when it begins on Jan. 1, 1999.

Apart from the enforcement of a strict budgetary discipline, an exchange rate mechanism will also have to be formulated for EU members who participate in this stage.

The third priority is preparations for the admission of new members. Countries like Bulgaria, Rumania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia are already knocking on the EU's door. While analysts believe no new members are expected to accede in the next few years, it will be up to The Hague to foster even closer dialog with potential members and anticipate possible problems that may occur during the integration of these new members.

While these three priorities are likely to dominate the attention of the Dutch presidency, external relations are also likely to be a factor.

"The presidency also plays an important role in many international affairs. I could mention for instance the peacekeeping processes like in the former Yugoslavia," Ambassador Brouwer said.

Areas of concentration will include the Middle East peace process, developments in the former Yugoslavia and transatlantic relations.

Dutch Foreign Minister Hans Van Mierlo will also co-chair the 12th EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting with Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar later this month in Singapore.

The meeting comes at a delicate time in EU-ASEAN relations after southeast Asian leaders last year warned that EU's continued persistence in "extraneous" issues such as human rights in the cooperation framework could jeopardize ties between the two regional groups.

Ambassador Brouwer said the Netherlands as EU president is dedicated to the success of the upcoming meeting in Singapore and that discussions of this delicate issue would be conducted in a spirit of mutual respect and non-confrontation.

Speaking on the overall responsibilities of the EU presidency, Brouwer explained that The Hague has to advance topics which are beyond mere domestic consumption. "One should realize that during such a presidency, there is not so much a national agenda but a European Agenda," he said.

Brouwer added that despite it being rotational in nature, the presidency of the EU is still a distinguished episode.

"It's always a special occurrence. It's a heavy responsibility," he said while underlining the duties of the presidency which includes the maintenance of continuity and good guardianship of EU policy matters.

He added that it is also very important to promote the concept of open regionalism. "It would be a set back if the regions were to close up or became isolated from each other. So it is very important that regional development goes hand-in-hand with globalization."

"We in the European Union must be careful not to keep the Union from the outside world," he said. (mds)