US embassy cable - 05PARIS8240

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FRENCH REMAIN UNDECIDED ON MACEDONIA'S EU CANDIDACY

Identifier: 05PARIS8240
Wikileaks: View 05PARIS8240 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Paris
Created: 2005-12-05 16:27:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: PREL GM FR MK DA EUN
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

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 

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