Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh said this week that she hoped the EU would set a 2003 target date for the first wave of enlargement during Sweden’s presidency of the Union.

Date: 23/11/00

Lindh also stressed that new countries should be admitted when they meet the criteria for membership rather than waiting for a large-scale enlargement. "I believe very much in having a step-by-step approach, not a big bang," she said.