EU warns ‘friends’ against hopes of joining

The European Commission released a Strategy Paper on 12 May 2004 proposing concrete steps to ensure that the historic enlargement which took place on 1 May 2004 does not create new dividing lines between the European Union and its neighbours. Having defined the guiding principles of the European Neighbourhood Policy in 2003, the Strategy Paper proposes how the benefits of enlargement, ie peace, stability and prosperity, can be extended to the neighbours of the enlarged Union, such as Ukraine and Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Middle East and north Africa. The Commission also adopted reports assessing the situation in a number of the countries concerned. The Council is now invited to draw up conclusions on how to carry this initiative forward.

Günter Verheugen, European Commissioner for Enlargement said, however, that EU membership was not on the Commission's agenda for these countries.

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/632&format=HTML&rapid=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en&display= http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/632&format=HTML&rapid=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en&display=

http://eeas.europa.eu/topics/european-neighbourhood-policy-enp_en http://eeas.europa.eu/topics/european-neighbourhood-policy-enp_en

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/world/enp/pdf/strategy/Strategy_Paper_EN.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/comm/world/enp/pdf/strategy/Strategy_Paper_EN.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/world/enp/document_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/comm/world/enp/document_en.htm

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