Euro parliament to vote on enlargement

The European Parliament is this morning expected to give its formal assent to pave the way for the next EU enlargement.

Under the EU treaty, the accession of any new country requires the green light by an absolute majority from the European Parliament.

That means that at least 314 of the 626 MEPs currently meeting in Strasbourg must vote in favour, something which is expected to happen, despite last minute teething problems.

On April 14, the European Council must approve unanimously a single Accession Treaty which will then be signed on April 16 in Athens by both the current members, as well as the 10 acceding countries.

The European Parliament vote had seemed a fait accompli until a few weeks ago when an unresolved dispute with the council over budgetary arrangements cast doubt over voting intentions.

The parliament raised objections after it accused the council of breaking the rules of the inter-institutional agreement, which gives the two bodies joint power over the EU's finances.

However, a declaration made by member state governments yesterday made it clear that budgetary powers would remain intact.

A report by EPP-ED MEP Elmar Brok on enlargement will emphasise that the accession of the 10 new states will be an important step in building an even stronger and more effective EU.

Mr Brok will call on EU institutions to fundamentally rethink how the union's policies could be refocused on priority issues in a union of 25 member states.

Parliament will also vote on the individual country reports of several EPP-ED members. The report by Ursula Strenzen, rapporteur for Malta, will remark, among other things, that the island's accession process has led to a modernisation of its economy.