Commission reassures candidates amid media talk

The European Commission reassured EU candidates yesterday it was committed to completing enlargement talks in December following a rash of speculation about possible delays or new conditions.

"Enlargement is the top priority of my Commission. We are working day and night to achieve it as soon and as successfully as possible," said Commission President Romano Prodi in a statement.

The Commission, the European Union's executive, is anxious to prevent newspaper reports hinting at possible delays from stirring unease in the mostly ex-communist candidate states as Brussels winds down for the summer recess, diplomats said.

The Spanish daily El Pais said yesterday a meeting of the Commission earlier this week had considered contingency plans in the event of a delay in enlargement, which is scheduled to take place in 2004.

The Commission statement said: "The target of January 1, 2004 for enlargement was not questioned (at the meeting)."

The Financial Times also suggested candidate countries would face penalties under a strict monitoring mechanism during the period between completing negotiations and joining.

"While they are candidates there are no fines but there is monitoring (of their performance in implementing EU laws)," Commission spokesman Gunnar Wiegand told reporters.

The EU candidate countries are set to hold another round of accession talks in Brussels next Monday and Tuesday.

After the summer recess, the EU and the candidates face marathon negotiations on the thorny issue of how much money to give to the applicant states' farmers and poor regions.

The 10 countries hoping to finish negotiations in December are the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Bulgaria and Romania are expected to join later in the decade.