Europees Parlement geeft Bulgarije en Roemenië groen licht (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Parliament on Wednesday (13 April) voted overwhelmingly in favour of Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession in 2007.

This was the last step for the two countries to take, before they sign their Accession treaties on 25 April in Luxembourg.

Full membership would then follow on 1 January 2007.

The Parliament's role would normally stop at this point. But the Commission has struck a deal with MEPs to keep the Parliament involved in the monitoring process after the signature of the treaties.

The monitoring process could activate a so-called safeguard clause, which makes it possible to postpone accession by one year, if the candidates are seen to backslide on key reforms.

"The European Commission will seriously consider European Parliament's view before issuing any recommendations", the EU Enlargement Commissioner, Mr Olli Rehn i, confirmed on Tuesday (12 April).

Still work to do

MEPs, as well as Commissioner Rehn, also stressed that Wednesday's vote and the final signature of the Treaties is not the end of the road for reform.

"If Romania and Bulgaria are manifestly unprepared for membership of the EU, I will not hesitate to use the safeguard clauses," the Commissioner warned.

The Parliament's rapporteur for Bulgaria, MEP Geoffrey Van Orden (EPP-ED), said the country still needs to overhaul its judiciary and police service, as well as to help integrate the Roma community into mainstream society.

On the Romanian side, Pierre Moscovici (PES), the rapporteur for Romania, indicated

that there are still concerns over organised crime, corruption and border control as well as the treatment of ethnic minorities and the environment.

Commissioner Rehn stressed that the safeguard clause could be used to address these concerns.

But some MEPs expressed fears that the Parliament has tied its hands by voting 20 months before actual accession.

"It would have been better to delay today's vote than to have to use the blunt instrument of the safeguard clause a year down the line should Romania and Bulgaria prove that they are not yet ready to join the Union", Green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit said.

Hostages

Meanwhile, an institutional conflict over the technicalities of enlargement funding had threatened to take the Bulgaria and Romania vote hostage.

The Parliament deplored on Tuesday (12 April) the Council's lack of cooperation on the Joint Declaration on the budgetary implications of Bulgaria's and Romania's accession.

The Council had set out the financial envelope for the first few years of enlargement without consulting the European Parliament beforehand.

Some groups, such as the Greens and the Christian Democrats, threatened to call for a postponement of Wednesday's vote in order to protest against the "violation" of their financial and legislative rights.

But member states reached agreement shortly before the crucial poll on Wednesday and ended up exchanging compliments on the subject.