VARIOUS: Romania and Bulgaria to join the EU in 2007, with conditions

Bulgaria and Romania received the green light on Tuesday (September 26) to join the European Union in January, rather than a year later, but under the toughest terms imposed on any new entrants. "Our conclusion is that both countries are in a position to take on the rights and obligations of European Union membership on 1st January, 2007," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament. "The accession of Bulgaria and Romania will mark an historic achievement, the completion of the fifth enlargement of the European Union, which further pursues the re-unification of our European family. On this occasion, I'd like to congratulate the peoples and the authorities of Bulgaria and Romania for all the efforts they have produced in order to fulfil the conditions for accession to the European Union," he added. In a recommendation on what could be the EU's last expansion for years, the European Commission listed reforms the Balkan duo must complete to avoid being deprived of full membership benefits early on, including some of their huge EU aid. EU leaders are to approve the recommendation in October. France, Germany, Denmark and Belgium are yet to ratify the accession treaty, but this is unlikely to be a hurdle. It will be the EU's second wave of enlargement into ex-communist eastern Europe, locking the Black Sea neighbours into the zone of stability and prosperity and promising a boost to their fast-growing economies. But the tough entry conditions reflected concern about the countries' shortcomings, including rampant corruption, organised crime and food safety standards, and doubts over their ability to administer billions of euros in EU aid properly. Bulgaria and Romania may also face curbs on migration, not least because their economic output per capita is around one-third of the EU average. This decision is taken individually by each national government. Britain, Ireland and Sweden, which opened their job markets for workers from the 10 countries that entered the EU in 2004, are considering restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians. The possible sanctions, which may be applied up to three years after the countries' accession, are meant partly to reassure the growing number of enlargement's critics who say the two countries are too poor and too weak administratively. "We awaited entry to the EU with huge enthusiasm, but now we are worried. It doesn't seem to be as smooth and sunny as we had hoped. The prices will go up, but our salaries will stay the same. Otherwise the European values will become more and more part of our lives, I expect crime and corruption to go down," commented Sofia resident, Marina Rusinova. "It will not be so good, because nobody can push the salaries up. The simple reason for this is - there is no industry in Bulgaria at the moment. We do not produce, we only sell and buy. This condition is bad, we can only import things and joining the EU will not give us anything good," taxi driver Mihail Mihailov said. Bulgarian analyst Krasen Stanchev said the tough monitoring measures should not be a concern. "Tough monitoring measures will basically help to see, that Bulgaria and Romania are normal EU member states, more normal than Hungary is currently. And I believe, in the long run, those countries could behave better than some of current South European Mediterranean member states," Krasen said. Both states will have to complete mechanisms to allocate billions of euros in farm subsidies and regional aid. If they do not, Brussels may freeze part of the funds. Bulgaria will be required to amend its constitution to remove ambiguity about the independence and accountability of the judicial system. It must also adopt new laws to improve the transparency and efficiency of the judicial process. Romania must strengthen its Superior Council of Magistracy and establish, as promised, "an integrity agency" that will verify the assets of senior state officials, the draft said. Failure to meet these targets could mean other EU members may refuse to recognise judgements of the newcomers' courts. Bulgaria and Romania will add about 30 million citizens to the bloc's present population of more than 450 million.

ITN Source | September 27, 2006

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