Commission: Romania and Bulgaria can join EU in 2007 if they resolve remaining failings

 

Mr BARROSO said the Commission had taken this decision after an extensive process of review and dialogue with stakeholders. The EU, he said, must honour its existing commitments, but also be rigorous in applying the conditions: "Since October last year, both governments have worked extremely hard and have made progress. However, some important issues need to be addressed. Further progress needs to be made in the field of Justice and Home Affairs. Romania and Bulgaria should be prepared for membership by 1 Jan 2007 provided they address a number of outstanding areas."

 

The Commission President stressed the need for judicial reforms and fight against corruption. There needed to be fully functioning justice systems equipped to fight corruption and organised crime. Both countries had shown determination and should have credit for reforms already achieved. Bulgaria, he said, still needs to demonstrate results on the fight against corruption, especially at high level, including follow up with judicial proceedings and on the independence of judiciary. It needed to step up efforts in fighting organised crime. Romania also needs to fight against corruption, in particular with judicial proceeding following up investigations.

 

As regards the acquis, there were still some serious concerns regarding agriculture, food safety, veterinary matters, justice and home affairs and finance. "They need to be in position to implement EU policies on accession. We expect them to take immediate corrective action."

 

The Commission, he said, would review outstanding issues no later than early October: "the EU must signal that it stands ready to honour its commitment. Practical conditions for accession must continue, including the ratification of the  treaties."

 

Mr Barroso added that he and Commissioner Rehn would be travelling to Bucharest and to Sofia on Wednesday and Thursday to explain the decision in detail.

 

Commissioner REHN said the Cassandras had been proved wrong about the 2004 enlargement.  The Commission's goal, he said, was to welcome Romania and Bulgaria to the EU in 2007 and that it was its duty to ensure that they really meet the conditions. The monitoring process had been unprecedented in scope and intensity.

 

As well as the points made by Mr Barroso, Mr Rehn mentioned the need for progress on human rights and minority rights.  The transformation of the economies of the two countries had been a remarkable success, he said. 

 

In those areas where there were shortcomings, safeguards could be invoked if certain limited problems persist at moment of accession, with a monitoring mechanism to follow.

 

"I trust today's carefully calibrated decision and its rigour will convince national parliaments which have not yet ratified to due so. The Treaties ensure that they can only join once they are ready, and that they must respect their obligations as members," he said.  "This constructive, transparent and rigorous approach will bring best results for Bulgaria, Romania and Europe."

 

 

 

EPP-ED group leader Hans-Gert POETTERING (DE) first criticised the absence of Council representatives in the debate.  His group, he said, welcomed the fact that Bulgaria and Romania were on their way to membership "What a huge achievement this is for Romania and Bulgaria after 45 years of communism, waste and mismanagement  - they have turned themselves into states based on the rule of law."   He asked the two countries to understand criticism not as sermonising, but as a desire to make it a success for all concerned. "We want to be able to say with a clear conscience in October that they are ready for 2007."  He said public concerns about enlargement should be addressed by accentuating the positive, setting out the great successes of earlier enlargements.  Finally, he stressed the need for progress on the EU constitutional project.

 

For the Socialist group, Martin SCHULZ (DE) said there had been significant process.  "Our position is that if there are no major obstacles, then 1 January 2007 actually is the date.  We are pleased the Commission is working on the basis that they will join on that date."  Mr Schulz stressed the need for the Commission to spell out the remaining shortfalls in great detail to the governments concerned, so they could be sure of what they needed to do.  He said it was important for the EU to have stable and successful members in a region bordering on much less stable areas.

 

ALDE group leader Graham WATSON (UK) paid tribute to the Enlargement Commissioner and to the European Integration Ministers of the two countries.  "We believe we should not revisit these decisions except in the gravest of circumstances - Romania and Bulgaria should be judged no more or less harshly than previous applicants."  The concerns on corruption and the rule of law, and the ill treatment of the Romany people, he said, should be taken seriously - the failures should be put right without delay.  He pointed out, however, that some present Member States were not flawless. Calling enlargement the EU's greatest success story, he called on individual Romanian and Bulgarian citizens to make a personal commitment to winning the battle against corruption.  "We should demonstrate that Romania and Bulgaria do not walk alone," he concluded.

 

Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT (Greens/EFA, DE) said that the Commission was being too idealistic saying that the problems in Bulgaria and Romania will sort themselves out. While he was in favour of enlargement, he did not support the current enlargement process. It was not a question, he said, of saying yes or no, it was a question of whether they are ready or not. And if they are not ready, they should not become members of the European Union in 2007.

 

Jaromír KOHLÍČEK (GUE/NGL, CZ) said that the Copenhagen Criteria set out three criteria that needed to be fulfilled in the last enlargement.  It already discriminated against the 2004 new members compared to the old 15 but the points raised in the Commission's report are an even harsher discrimination, demanding, for example, the dismantling of a nuclear power plant on which many citizens, even in the current EU, rely. He asked the question - what the European Union will give to these countries?

 

Bastiaan BELDER (IND/DEM, NL) said that he had always been in favour of overcoming the Cold War divisions but he believed in separate assessments of Bulgaria and Romania. He stressed that the commitment to change was not enough but that the countries needed to change before one can set a date for accession.

 

Brian CROWLEY (UEN, IE) said that the European Union should give the countries a very clear signal.  They were not allowed to join in 2004 so they needed to be considered properly now.  He said that the current 25 should not lecture Bulgaria and Romania but should share their experiences and ideas.  Bulgaria and Romania should join if they fulfil the fundamentals of the European Union.

 

Andreas MÖLZER (NI, AT) said that the European Union's citizens' concerns were not being taken into account. He said that the current mechanisms of enlargement were not effective as Bulgaria and Romania have all sorts of problems that cannot be resolved in a few months and it is not in the interest of neither the European Union nor these two countries if one pushed their membership through too quickly.

 

 

 

Baroness NICHOLSON OF WINTERBOURNE (ALDE, UK) said it would be difficult to play cards against Commissioner Rehn because he holds his cards close to his chest and plays the trump card at the very last minute.  However, Baroness Nicholson said that Commissioner Rehn was playing the cards on behalf of Romania and Bulgaria and that 1 January 2007 would be D-Day or "delivery day".  Indeed, Baroness Nicholson said she would be booking her flight to Bucharest for 31 December 2006.  "Inevitably, there are problems", she said, in particular pointing to human trafficking from Eastern Europe and Russia through the two countries.  More needed to be done to combat this.

 

Geoffrey VAN ORDEN (EPP-ED, UK), rapporteur on Bulgaria, recalled that the Accession Treaty on Bulgaria states that there has to be a unanimous decision of the Council to postpone enlargement by one year.  "No such recommendation had been made".  Bulgaria, he said, fulfilled the conditions for accession on 1 January 2007 and noted that their unemployment rate was now lower than in Germany.  The sixteen areas of serious concern outlined by the Commission in October had been reduced to six.  Nevertheless, more action was needed to combat organised crime, fraud and corruption. Many crime bosses were still at large.  The police, he said, would need further resources for this.  Secondly, more action was needed to ensure effective financial management structures were in place to ensure that the Structural Funds could be spent properly.  The Council in its Summit in June, he said, should endorse 1 January 2007 as the date for accession for Bulgaria.  In other words, it was a case of:  "Yes, but to some extent".

 

Nigel FARAGE (IND/DEM, UK) said that "we should stop the farcical pretence that Romania and Bulgaria would join the EU because it met the criteria".  They would join for political reasons.  People, he said, had lost confidence in the EU.  The two countries joining would be a victory for the political classes and a victory for the politicians in Romania and Bulgaria and he quipped "we should welcome them onto the EU gravy train".  Mr Farage also said that an open immigration policy with countries having vastly different GDPs was not sustainable.  The UK's public services could not sustain further mass migration from Romania and Bulgaria and he also pointed out that Romania and Bulgaria would lose many talented people.  "It would all end in tears".

 

Charles TANNOCK (EPP-ED, UK) said that enlargement was one of the greatest success stories for the EU.  It had been a great success despite the concerns expressed over mass migration and a lack of a Constitution.  Romania and Bulgaria represented the fifth and a half wave of enlargement as they originally were supposed to join at the same time as the EU-10.  Nevertheless, the scale of the tasks facing the two countries after enlargements should not be underestimated.  High level indictments and convictions would be helpful in Bulgaria to underline the fight against corruption.  It may be helpful to invoke the one-year safeguard clauses after enlargement for Bulgaria in the area of justice and home affairs.  Mr Tannock raised two specific points: he called on Romania to settle its maritime border dispute with Ukraine over Snake Island and, secondly, he called on the Romanian government to reconsider its position on inter-country adoptions.

 

Arlene McCARTHY (PES, UK) said that her country was pro-enlargement to Bulgaria but her region was against because of the case of Michael Shields who was convicted of a violent attack in Bulgaria. Recalling that a confession made in the UK by another Liverpool man, was not accepted by the Bulgarian courts, Mrs McCarthy said that a fair trial had not taken place and called on the Bulgarian authorities to take up the offer of assistance from the UK government.  Any EU Member State can make a mistake but the important thing is to try and rectify it.

 

 

 

Responding to the debate, Commissioner Rehn said he perceived overall support for the Commission's basic approach that 1 January 2007 was possible if the countries target their remaining shortcomings.  "We are for both the target and sticking to the conditions with rigor," he said. He insisted the remaining conditions were achievable and said the report contained a clear "to-do" list, which he and Mr Barroso would be explaining in person in Bucharest and Sofia in the days ahead. He gave an example of the need for Bulgaria to implement the digital photographic mapping of agricultural land in order to manage direct farm payments.  Regarding a possible postponement, he said the conclusion of Commission report says: "We shall assess by early October whether the two countries have been able to address remaining shortcomings and take a stance on whether the date can be maintained. The Commission reserves the right to consider use of the safeguard clause of postponement if shortcomings are not addressed - which is do-able if they make the efforts needed.  Our aim is January 2007, our duty is to see they join when they meet the criteria. This is the best way to make a success of the process for Bulgaria, Romania and Europe."

 

(The debate continued without the presence of Commissioner Rehn)

 

 

 

Mairead MCGUINNESS (EPP-ED, IE) spoke of the official opening in Romania today of protected homes for 100 vulnerable people as part of a partnership between the  Romanian government, local councils and Irish NGOs. The focus on the plight of disabled people may not have been welcomed by the government there, but if it had helped to improve their situation it was a good thing, she said.  "The problem of trafficking has been identified by the Commission, and all Member States, including my own, need to do their utmost to solve this problem.  I believe the two countries will accede in January."