6. Epilogue (or Epitaph?) Ladies and Gentlemen, we live in uncertain times and I even hesitated whether to call my final comment «Epitaph», rather than «Epilogue»! However, I remain an optimist and we have seen that, in its short exis t - ence, the EEA has proved to be a beacon of stability. The enhanced Euro pean market is in good shape: it is transparent and has flourished, following a pragmatic and, at times, inventive «tension», which has en - sured that its unique system of parallel legislating, in the form of «posi - tive automaticity», has largely satisfied both sides. Of course, the EU has – or, at least, had! – moved on: Maastricht, with its two further pillars; Amsterdam, involving more co-decision; Nice and its anticipation – albeit incomplete – of further enlargements. But whilst, now, the Constitutional Treaty may, for some, still be «ali- ve», for others it is, at best, «on hold» or, indeed, completely in tatters! Is it, then, the moment for the EEA – or some sort of «EEA bis» – to come back into fashion, to serve as an «extended waiting room» for furt- her enlargements? Indeed, could it serve, rather than as «a half-way hou- se», or some sort of «privileged partnership», as a «safe haven»? Entirely for myself, I wonder whether the salutary lesson we are all going through at the moment should not, rather, incite our leaders to query whether too much diversity in too many core areas – whether mon ey, or security, or employment, or, indeed, our relations with other European states – should not give way to a rediscovery of what we al - ready have: proposals – and I use the word deliberately – put forward with clarity and conviction by the Commission; a Parliament which ge- nuinely represents the views of the electors; a Council which is emi - nently transparent in its decision-making. For myself, I would wish us again to take pride in what we are trying to achieve – and, indeed, in every thing we have already achieved – so that, for any non-EU, Euro - pean state, the EEA, or other relationship it has with the Union – and how ever successful it may be – would, nevertheless, give way, one day, to an application under Article 49, the negotiation of appropriate condi - tions and full membership in a revitalised
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Parallel Legislation in the EEA: Automatic or Manual?