White Paper on integration of Central and Eastern Europe in the internal market
The European Commission approved on 3 May 1995 a White Paper on the preparation of the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEECs) for integration into the internal market, which forms part of the pre-accession strategy adopted by the Essen European Council in December 1994. Its purpose is to provide a guide to assist the associated countries prepare for operating under the requirements of the EU internal market. Alignment with the internal market is to be distinguished from accession to the EU which will involve acceptance of the "acquis communautaire" (the body of legislation adopted by the EU) as a whole. The White Paper is not part of the negotiations leading to accession. The White Paper is addressed to the six countries which already have Association Agreements, namely Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania. It will apply equally to those countries which are negotiating Europe Agreements with the EU. Currently these are the three Baltic republics, which have initialled agreements, and Slovenia. Alignment with the internal market is expected to reinforce economic reform and industrial restructuring and to stimulate trade and commerce. The progressive elimination of barriers will increase competitiveness and allow business to expand. At the same time, the inclusion in the White Paper's recommendations of legislation in the fields of competition, social and environmental policy, which are essential to the functioning of the internal market, will ensure that alignment takes place in a balanced way. The White Paper will help the CEECs in three ways: - It identifies the key legislative measures in the internal market area and indicates those which should be tackled first; - It describes the administrative and technical structures which are needed to ensure the legislation is effectively implemented and enforced; - It outlines the way in which technical assistance from the Union can be adapted and enhanced to provide the best possible support for the CEECs' efforts.
Countries
Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia