European Union (Accessions) Bill

I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. Enlargement of the European Union is a policy that has made an enormous contribution to stability and prosperity across our continent. I am glad to say that it has always been an issue on which the House has been united. As the noble Lord Hurd of Westwell, a past Conservative Foreign Secretary, stated in 1995,"““Enlargement is not a luxury. It is a necessity, if we are to build a safe and successful Europe for the 21st century””." More recently, reflecting the tripartisan support that has developed for enlargement, the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell), who is in his place, stated:"““The ability to spread stability, democracy and economic opportunity to a wider region of Europe has been a tremendous thing for the continent””.—[Official Report, 8 June 2005; Vol. 434, c. 1273.]" It is in such a spirit of shared resolve that I hope we can debate the Bill today. The Bill before the House is narrowly drawn. It will do two things. Clause 1 will enable the implementation, under United Kingdom law, of the accession treaty signed in Luxembourg on 25 April, extending the European Union to Bulgaria and Romania. Having concluded negotiations with both countries in December last year, European Union member states agreed that they should join the EU. They are scheduled to do so in January 2007, but if they are ““manifestly unprepared for membership””, EU member states can decide to delay entry by a year. The Commission is responsible for monitoring both countries’ preparations and has just produced thorough reports on them. It will produce further reports in April or May next year. I will say more about this process in due course.