Candidates for the European Union failed to make much headway in accession talks today, but said they expected a positive evaluation of their membership bids in the EU's annual progress report due on October 9th.
Many of the 12 applicants said they expected the European Commission to declare them fit to conclude entry talks in December and join in 2004.
"I am optimistic about the report. It will positively assess the progress we have made," said Hungarian Foreign Minister Mr Laszlo Kovasc in remarks also echoed by his Polish, Slovak, Czech and Cypriot counterparts.
Other countries expected to be endorsed in the Commission's report as generally ready for membership are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Malta. Bulgaria and Romania hope to join later in the decade.
The Commission's report will form the basis for a decision by EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on October 24-25th on which candidates can complete the accession talks in December.
The 12 EU hopefuls are trying to bring their laws on a wide range of general policy topics into harmony with those of EU members, prior to accession.
But today's round of negotiations in Brussels brought little progress.
EU president, Denmark, had hoped to clear from the negotiating table by the end of September all issues other than key financial provisions, which are to be addressed in November, but talks stalled on the sensitive subject of state aid.
EU officials have now delayed agreements on state aid with several countries until later this month.
The 10 candidates are expected to receive 1.5 billion euros in pre-accession aid in 2003, when they would not yet have to pay their contributions to the EU budget.
The Commission has proposed granting the 10 new members 40.1 billion euros from the bloc's 2004-2006 budget.