Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 156: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the applicant countries currently deemed to have the most serious human rights violations in the past five years; the degree to which the international community is dealing with the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25470/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The EU currently has three candidate countries, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey. Accession negations have begun with both Croatia and Turkey. In line with the conclusions of the European Council meeting in Copenhagen in June 1993, in order to be granted candidate country status, applicant states are expected to have made progress towards meeting the necessary political criteria. These political criteria include the requirement that each has achieved a stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for, and protection of, minorities.

The European Council at its meetings in June and December 2004 respectively agreed that Croatia and Turkey sufficiently met the Copenhagen criteria to enable the opening of accession negotiations. The December 2005 European Council welcomed the progress made by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia towards meeting the Copenhagen criteria and, in recognition of this progress decided to grant candidate country status to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. At the same time the European Council made it clear that further steps — such as the opening of accession negotiations — will have to be considered in the light of, amongst other considerations, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria.

In recognition of the need to maintain progress in this regard, the Commission monitors the continued efforts in each of the candidate countries towards compliance with the Copenhagen criteria and meeting the obligations of membership by satisfying the economic and political conditions required. Also, in the cases of Croatia and Turkey, the EU will address the progress on human rights as relevant chapters are considered in the course of the accession negotiations.