Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-179"
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"en.20041215.6.3-179"2
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".
Madam President, we have come a long way since Bulgaria applied for EU membership in 1995 and opened its negotiations in 2000. Yesterday the EU finalised the accession negotiations with Bulgaria in the accession conference, with a view to accession on 1 January 2007 and with the signature of the accession Treaty in sight in the spring of next year.
I would like to thank the European Parliament for its constant and balanced support for Bulgaria's ambition to accede to the European Union and I would also like to congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Van Orden, for the sound and even-handed report he has produced.
In the past few years Bulgaria has made steady progress in all areas in its preparation for accession and for meeting the Copenhagen criteria. Important and necessary decisions have been taken in this respect. Four units of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant are being closed on agreed dates for final decommissioning, showing Bulgaria's determination to respect commitments. Substantial support from the Union is being provided as assistance to these efforts.
Overall, Bulgaria has consolidated and deepened the stability of its institutions. Continuation on its current reform path should enable the country to cope with competitive pressures and market forces within the European Union. We will, however, need to keep a close watch on some areas. Our intention now is to intensify our monitoring of the commitments that have been made and of continuing preparations in general, in order to ensure that progress continues after the closure of negotiations and that Bulgaria will be effectively ready for membership in 2007.
In this regard, solid efforts remain necessary concerning the reform of the judiciary, the fight against organised crime and the fight against corruption. Bulgaria has made progress in gradually building up its administrative capacity but further efforts remain necessary in this regard in a number of areas.
As from November 2005 the Commission will issue yearly comprehensive monitoring reports for the Council and Parliament following the same methodology as was applied to the new Member States that joined the Union in May 2004. These reports will focus particularly on public administration, the judiciary and the fight against corruption, as well as the track record in economic reforms.
It is also necessary to take account of a longer period between completion of the negotiations and the effective date of accession than in previous waves of accession. A specific safeguard was agreed, which allows the Commission to recommend to the Council to decide by unanimity, at any time, to postpone the date of accession by one year to January 2008 if there is clear evidence that Bulgaria is manifestly unprepared.
Let me conclude by saying that I share the conclusions of the report of your rapporteur, Mr Van Orden, which are, by and large, in line with the 2004 regular report. The Commission will continue to keep the European Parliament informed of Bulgaria’s progress towards accession.
Bulgaria is on track for accession on 1 January 2007. With the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, the fifth round of EU enlargement will be concluded. Thus the Black Sea will become a new coastline for an enlarged and unified Europe."@en1
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