Greece is promoting the establishment of a framework of principles and rules which would be applicable, in a consistent way, in the entirety of the wider South-Eastern Europe. In this context, some developments that have taken place in recent years within the framework of the Enlargement Process of the European Union have had a catalytic effect. A landmark event, in this regard, was the European Council in Helsinki, in December 1999, which confirmed the official candidature of Turkey for EU membership while ensuring the EU accession prospects for Cyprus. An equally important event was the confirmation of the candidate status of Bulgaria and Romania for EU membership and, subsequently, the start of their respective accession negotiations with the EU in 2000. In this sequence of events the most important recent development was, beyond any doubt, the Copenhagen European Council, in December 2002, with its historic decision to accept ten countries - among them two from the wider S.E. Europe, Cyprus and Slovenia - as new, full EU member states, as well as its decisions mapping out the next steps in the European course of Turkey, and defining the accession prospects for Bulgaria and Romania in the period ahead.
In parallel, the EU launched, in spring 1999, the Stabilization and Association Process to cover that part of S.E. Europe which has become better known as the Western Balkans. In the same period, another, broader based forum of regional cooperation was put into place and started working: the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. The democratic change that occurred first in Zagreb (beginning 2000) and later in Belgrade (November 2000), conferred new dynamics upon the said Process. Finally, the decision of the European Council in Feira, Portugal (June 2000) to recognize the countries participating in the Stabilization & Association Process as "potential candidates for EU membership", constitutes another step forward in the course of the integration of this part of S.E. Europe into the European structures.
All these parallel processes are shaping a new framework of principles and a "road map" for the whole of South Eastern Europe, thus paving the way for the region's integration into the mainstream of Europe. This is why Greece strenuously supported a meaningful candidacy for Turkey, and the upgrading of relations between the other countries of S.E. Europe and the EU, either in the context of the Enlargement process properly speaking, or within the Stabilization and Association Process. Greece, therefore, strongly advocates a comprehensive, visionary and consistent policy, based on principles and governed by concrete stages and time frames. Should these principles be implemented everywhere from Cyprus to Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia, the road to broader regional security will open. The European Union, the Euro-Atlantic community and the international community at large must develop a consistent, coherent, and unified approach for S.E. Europe. Competing spheres of influence and double standards should not apply. Instead, principles and regulations must be applied uniformly. The international community's approach should be based on fostering democracy, security and development. Development should, in turn, focus on programmes that are beneficial to the entire region and promote regional cooperation.
