Doubts over EU expansion deadline begin to echo in European Commission

On Thursday Spanish daily El Pais revealed that some of the European Commiss ion's 20 commissioners are having doubts over January 1, 2004 as the EU expa nsion date. According to various sources, they openly voiced such opinions f or the first time at their meeting last Wednesday. EU sources quoted by Gaze ta Wyborcza, confirm that there are many issues which could serve as a prete xt for delaying expansion by six or twelve months. These include the EU budg et for 2007-2013, lack of an agreement on the reform of the Common Agricultu ral Policy (CAP), and the lengthy expansion treaty ratification process. Alt hough various EU states, particularly those from Southern Europe had express ed opinions about delaying EU expansion before, this was the first time that such voices emerged from the Commission itself. The EC's expansion commissio ner Gunter Verheugen believes that any postponement of the expansion deadlin e would have very bad social consequences in the candidate countries. Some c ommissioners also expressed fears about the accession candidates' ideas to s horten the term of the current Commission and replace it with a new one, inc luding commissioners from new EU members. The leak about postponement of EU expansion could therefore be a warning to member countries against trying to dismiss the current Commission. (Rzeczpospolita, July 27-28, p. A1; Gazeta W yborcza, July 27-28, p. 6) T.J.