Rehn bezoekt Bulgarije voor afronding toetreding (en)
The Commissioner for Enlargement will visit Sofia on 18 March 2005. Olli Rehn's first official visit to the country comes at an important moment in the relations between the EU and Bulgaria following the conclusion of the accession negotiations and prior to the signature of the Accession Treaty on 25 April 2005. He will be having discussions with the Bulgarian authorities concerning the commitments made during the accession negotiations and their fulfilment between now and the day of Accession, scheduled for
1 st January 2007.
Prior to his departure Olli Rehn i said: "Through the successful accession negotiation process Bulgaria has gained a lot of credit. The conclusion of the negotiations and the signature of the Accession Treaty signify that agreement has been reached on the terms and conditions of Bulgaria's accession to the EU. But it does not mean that preparations for membership have been completed, on the contrary. The remaining 21 months, until the target date of accession to the EU, must be used to complete Bulgaria's preparation to become a fully fledged member of the EU family. The country must demonstrate its capacity to carry out the duties of EU membership and to make a real contribution to the European Union. We will monitor very closely the respect of the commitments taken in the negotiations and their full implementation."
During his time in Sofia, Olli Rehn will meet President Gueorgui Parvanov, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Solomon Passy, the Minister for European Affairs, Meglena Kuneva, the Minister of Finance, Milen Velchev and Borislav Velikov, the Speaker of the Parliament. He will also have the opportunity to meet foreign business representatives in Bulgaria. A press conference is scheduled at the European Commission Delegation at 11am.
Commissioner Rehn will discuss with his counterparts the preparations for membership with special emphasis on the most challenging areas: reform of the judiciary and of the public administration as well legislation insuring full participation in the internal market.
For further information see:
EU-Bulgaria Relations