RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 214, 5 November 1998

EUROPEAN COMMISSION REPORTS ON FAST-TRACK ENTRY TALKS.
The European Commission on 4 November said that
preliminary talks with Cyprus and 10 East European
countries are "broadly on track." EU Foreign Affairs
Commissioner Hans van den Broek said three of the
countries not included in the "fast-track talks" group
earlier this year--Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia--are
performing better than expected. He added that the rate
of Latvia's progress is sufficient for the commission to
consider recommending that membership talks be launched
with that country by the end of 1999. And he added that
such talks could begin with Lithuania and Slovakia
"within a reasonable period," AP reported. With regard
to Bulgaria and Romania, the commission said these
countries "cannot yet be regarded as market economies."
The commission urged Hungary and Slovenia--which along
with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Estonia belong to
the fast-track group--to keep up the pace of adapting
their legislation to EU rules and regulations. All
candidate countries, the commission said, must do more
to protect human rights, improve their judicial system,
and deal with corruption. MS

HUNGARY TAKES OVER COUNCIL OF EUROPE CHAIR. Foreign
Minister Janos Martonyi on 4 November took over the
rotating chairmanship of the Council of Ministers at the
Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Hungarian media
reported. Spokesman Jack Hanning said the event has" a
symbolic significance" since in November 1990, Hungary
became the first state from Eastern Europe to join the
council following the collapse of communism. MSZ

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