FRENCH REMAIN UNDECIDED ON MACEDONIA'S EU CANDIDACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 008240

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2015
TAGS: PREL GM FR MK DA EUN
SUBJECT: FRENCH REMAIN UNDECIDED ON MACEDONIA'S EU CANDIDACY

REF: A. SKOPJE 1411


B. STATE 219159

C. USEU TODAY 12/5/05

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for reaso
ns 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Poloff discussed reftel B points with MFA
DAS-equivalent for External Community Relations Caroline
Ferrari. Ferrari said that the GOF has not yet decided if it
will support the granting of candidate status to Macedonia as
recommended on November 9 by the Commission. Ferrari said
that the GOF continues to pose questions about whether the EU
is ready to enlarge further, and that its concerns about
granting candidate status to Macedonia remain the same as
those they expressed at least week's COREPER meeting. That
is to say, continued Ferrari, that the EU must consider
Macedonia's candidacy in the context of larger European
questions that remain unresolved in the wake of the French
and Dutch "nos" to the constitutional treaty, for example on
how to finance enlargement and streamline EU institutions to
function better in an enlarged EU. COMMENT: Ferrari's
comments on the need to modernize both the EU's budget and
its institutions before any further enlargement reflect
repeated public remarks over the summer by President Chirac,
Prime Minister de Villepin, and Foreign Minister
Douste-Blazy. For the GOF, a granting of candidate status to
Macedonia would be equivalent to giving the go-ahead for
another round of enlargement, something the French do not yet
appear ready to do. END COMMENT.

Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

Stapleton