The Commission had hoped to achieve more efficiency by combining the two areas but Parliament, while in favour of pooling administrative resources, had decided that the two areas, which come under different legal bases (Articles 152 and 153 of the EC Treaty) in which the EU has different powers, should be split into two separate programmes.
Inese VAIDERE Eiropas Nāciju grupas vārdā teica, ka " Eiropas Savienības tālākā paplašināšanās ir nepieciešama, tomēr nāksies rast jaunus mehānismus un veidus, kas Eiropas Savienību izvestu no jaunu valstu absorbcijas spējas strupceļa ".