Resolution: EU Enlargement
The European Liberal Democrat and Reform party convening in Berlin, Germany, on 15 October 2007,
- welcomes Romania and Bulgaria as the most recent members of the European Union and applauds the success of the enlargement in uniting Europe, and thereby establishing a union of close to 500 million citizens, based on democracy, freedom and an open market economy,
- affirms that the European Union has a moral obligation to keep the door open for all European countries wishing to join the Union and who are prepared to meet the Copenhagen criteria, in particular as the prospect of EU membership has served well as an important incentive for democratic reforms, the rule of law and tackling corruption,
- notes with concern the skepticism towards pursuing the enlargement process in several member states, and that the general unease following the rejection of the EU constitution in referenda has sent worrying signals to our European neighbors,
- calls on the European leaders to strengthen their ambitions in explaining why the enlargement is relevant and in the self-interest of the citizens’, as it is not only a historic mission of delivering peace and stability to more than 490 million people, but also encompasses the strategic advantage of a continent working together to meet important challenges such as political instability in our part of the world, environmental threats, low economic growth, unemployment, terrorism and international crime,
- firmly believes that the enlargement process must continue as planned and according to agreements made with the candidates Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey, and that the Union should enhance cooperation with future Member States within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and potential candidate countries within the framework of the Thessaloniki Process reaffirming that the future of all countries of the Western Balkans lies in the European Union,
- greets the election results in Turkey as a clear mandate for its government to continue pursue democratic, legal and economic reforms, while, at the same time, urging the Member States to live up to previous commitments vis-à-vis Turkey, 
- instructs its bureau to forward this resolution to the governments of the Member States, Candidate States, the European Commission and the ALDE Group in the European Parliament.