Armenia can join the EU too
"If you want to join the European Union, you don't need to take more steps or make efforts. All you need to do is try to do everything that is required by the Neighborhood Program and you will be closer to the EU," this is what EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule told journalists, including Armenian journalists in Brussels today. He clarified that the countries included in the EU Neighborhood Programs haven't been promised EU integration, but there is a possibility.
According to him, the EU New Neighborhood Policy was formed not on the grounds of existing knowledge, but as a result of a "hunt", and the targets were the expectations of citizens of countries included in this programs.
The Commissioner told the participants of the two-day conference on "Freedom of Press: Politics, Political Approaches and Power" that he would like to develop a policy that wouldn't need to be revised after the end of his term in office.
Touching upon the EU's expectations from the countries included in the program, Fule mentioned that the main principle remains unchanged, that is, "More for more". The important requirement is still free and fair elections through the full assurance of freedom of meetings and speech.
The Commissioner noted that the EU had developed "logical sanctions". For instance, if a country doesn't meet the requirements, the EU can reconsider the amount of assistance to be provided.
One of the Ukrainian journalists attending the conference asked whether the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko could have an impact on Ukraine's relations with the EU. In response, Fule said the EU would issue a statement and since the trial was still in progress, he hoped that there would still be a solution to the issue.
Armenian journalists weren't given the chance to ask questions due to the Commissioner's lack of time.
Let us mention that the Commissioner gives a positive evaluation of the efforts of the European Neighborhood's journalists' network. According to the Commissioner, when the training and awareness program for journalists of the Neighborhood Program-member countries began four years ago, there were not too many expectations, but the result was satisfying. The program was summed up in Brussels.
Karine Asatryan
Brussels
