The EU summit in December in Helsinki should "set a firm date for the accession of those countries which are best prepared," the President-designate of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, told MEPs yesterday.
Today the appointment of Mr Prodi and his team will be ratified by MEPs, following the public acknowledgement of their support yesterday by the main parliamentary groups.
Mr Prodi made his controversial call for accessions when he appealed for support for his nominees and outlined his political priorities. The call will be strongly welcomed in eastern Europe, where the EU's reluctance to set an entry date has been interpreted as a desire to delay accession until 2005 or 2006 at the earliest.
He made clear, however, that the process would require "lengthy transition periods to deal with their social and economic problems," a reassurance that will be welcomed by farming communities.
But the statement will not be so welcome to member governments, not only because it raises expectations in the east, but because it clearly signals a willingness to write the EU's agenda in a way that recalls not the timidity of his predecessor but the stance of a previous president, Mr Jacques Delors.
Just as problematic for the Council of Ministers will be Mr Prodi's insistence that the next treaty-changing Inter-Governmental Conference must be broad in scope and radical to ensure that the EU can cope with enlargement.
Most member states are determined to limit it to the so-called "unfinished business" of Amsterdam - some extension of majority voting, restricting the number of commissioners to one per state, and a reweighting of votes in favour of the larger states.
This minimalist agenda has been opposed by the Parliament and now by the Commission. Mr Prodi warned that to postpone more radical reform "would plunge Europe into a state of perpetual constitutional reform." He said, "We cannot afford to settle for a minimal reform that fails to equip us for powerful, efficient decision-making."
How ambitious Mr Prodi is in this regard is not yet clear, although it is understood that he does not want to increase the range of EU powers. But one idea being floated among his advisers is to do away with the unanimity requirement for amending the treaty.
Mr Prodi yesterday gave no ground on the allocation of portfolios to his team, despite a determined but largely unconvincing effort by the British Tories to dredge up new allegations against the Socialist Belgian nominee, Mr Philipe Busquin. The claims relate back to the Agusta bribes scandal, with the Tories alleging Mr Busquin did not do enough to expose corruption in his party.
The main groups gave broad approval to Mr Prodi's speech. For the Liberals, Mr Pat Cox (Munster), warned Mr Prodi that notwithstanding his discretion on hiring and firing commissioners, "if a commissioner loses the confidence of Parliament, you have to act."
Mr Gerry Collins (Munster), for the Union for Europe group, said that voters would not thank MEPs or the Commission "if we are seen as having a fractious relationship in any shape or form". He added, "The European Union works at its best when the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council are working closely in tandem together."
Mr Proinsias de Rossa (Dublin) said that if the EU was to retain the confidence of citizens, they had to feel they had a share in it. "The social dimension must have the same status as monetary union."
