Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-25-Speech-2-148"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20051025.20.2-148"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Madam President, in recent years, the Socialist Group in the European Parliament has shown itself to be a consistent advocate of the EU’s enlargement through the accession of countries from Central and Eastern Europe. When those countries join, we can finally put an end to the division of Europe that has lasted dozens of years, and to the major inequality this has caused between East and West.
I would like to urge the key political parties in Romania, the Romanian Government and the country’s President, to demonstrate that same level of unanimity where the accession is concerned and not waste valuable time on political wrangling.
Finally, I should like to announce that my group, the Socialist Group, obviously in cooperation with the Commission, will, in the coming months, be carrying out its own analysis of progress made in the accession process. In that way, this spring, we will be able to take the decision whether both countries are really ready to take on all responsibilities of EU membership in a well-considered fashion and according to agreements made.
That is why on 13 April of this year, the Socialist Group, by an overwhelming majority, voted to endorse the accession treaties with Bulgaria and Romania. Since there was a 20-month interval between the time of approval by the European Parliament and the planned date of accession, namely 1 January 2007, this approval was given in the full knowledge that in both Romania and Bulgaria, further progress should be made in a number of important areas before they can fully comply with the EU’s membership requirements. In my group, though, there was also the confidence that both countries should be deemed capable of taking the necessary steps prior to the ultimate accession and of actually implementing those.
It should be noted that the inclusion of a safeguard clause which makes it possible to defer the date of accession by one year, along with the firm promise by both the Commission and the Council to involve the European Parliament fully in a decision about a possible application of this safeguard clause has played a major part in our giving consent.
The Socialist Group is consistent in its policy on the enlargement of the European Union. As was the case when the 10 new Member States joined last year, we want the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to be a success for the people of both countries, of course, without them presenting an unacceptable burden to the present European Union.
Consequently, we will not be using a fine-tooth comb to go through the reports presented by the Commission today about progress made in the preparation to accession in order to find arguments to wait for another year. As we see it, the areas of concern and criticism mentioned in the reports are mainly a guideline for the governments and parliaments of both Bulgaria and Romania to take the necessary measures in the time that remains. At the same time, these reports also identify the areas where both countries could use further support from the European Union in order to be able to achieve the intended objective of full membership of the European Union in 2007.
It is totally irrelevant, for that matter, to our group’s support for the enlargement or our criticism of progress of the accession process, who and which parties are in power in either country. The only thing that matters is what those in power do in order to meet the predetermined conditions for full accession. We hope – obviously in the interest of the people of Bulgaria and Romania – that this opinion is shared by the other groups in this House.
The reports presented by the Commission today do not fill us with the confidence that is needed to conclude at this stage that both Romania and Bulgaria will meet the conditions for accession on 1 January 2007 to a sufficient degree. There is no need yet. We can, however, see a reason for moderate optimism that both countries will be able to meet the set requirements at the next assessment, the one that really counts, in April of next year.
Much will need to be done though, both in the decision-making process about, and the introduction of, missing legislation, as well as on the score of practical implementation; especially the fight against corruption and organised crime deserve most attention in this. On a personal level – because I have much experience in dealing with this problem – I should like to add that both reports are right to express the Commission’s concern about the situation of the Roma in both countries, and the fact the governments in both countries still have no adequate and effective way of addressing this problem. I think that this issue should carry a lot of weight in our final verdict. It is an important point to us, but also to the Roma in both countries.
Following a period of stagnation and delays in connection with parliamentary elections and the problems involving the forming of government, the Bulgarian Government seems to have picked up where it left off with renewed energy and decisiveness. It is reassuring to establish that that country’s key political parties have joined forces in order to guide their country into the European Union together."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples