Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-29-Speech-3-092"
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"en.20061129.14.3-092"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteurs, Mr Van Orden and Mr Moscovici, for their well-balanced, substantive reports, which, like the Commission reports, give credit to progress, but also highlight the areas where outstanding issues still exist for both countries. Both our institutions support the accession date of 1 January 2007.
I should like to thank you for your support – in particular the rapporteurs, Mr Van Orden and Mr Moscovici, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Parliament as a whole – and for your constructive, substantive approach over the past years for this important step for our common European project, which will now continue with two important new Member States.
This is a historic achievement by Bulgaria and Romania, and I should like to congratulate them warmly. The key to their success was a combination of their own efforts with the strong encouragement and support of all institutions of the Union, not least of this House. Their accession will mark the completion of the fifth round of enlargement.
I am happy to inform you that the ratification procedures in all 27 Parliaments have now been successfully finalised – I should add the European Parliament to that list. The Commission looks forward to welcoming Bulgaria and Romania as fully-fledged members of the European Union on 1 January.
Bulgaria and Romania have continued to make progress after the publication of the September report. Bulgaria reported that border control and border management now benefit from increased cooperation between different offices, resulting in more arrests related to the smuggling of goods and human beings. Cooperation between the prosecutor’s office and the police has improved, resulting in indictments and the dismantling of criminal groups.
Romania has made further progress in modernising its detention facilities and has launched a new awareness-raising campaign against corruption. Official charges have been brought to parties involved in privatisations in the energy sector. So far, signs in other areas which were critical in September, such as aviation safety in Bulgaria and motor vehicle insurance systems in both countries, are rather positive. Final decisions on these issues will be made in December 2006 – very soon.
In some other areas, specific measures have recently been taken to guarantee food safety on the internal market. Products from pigs and live pigs are not allowed to be exported from Bulgaria and Romania to the internal market, due to the existence of classical swine fever. The lists of agri-food establishments which are allowed to produce only for the national market, for a maximum of three years, have been updated.
The Commission is setting up a mechanism for cooperation and verification of progress in the areas of judicial reform and the fight against corruption and organised crime. This mechanism will enable the Commission to keep a close eye on developments in these very important areas. The Commission has identified benchmarks for both countries, which they need to fulfil in these critical areas. Preparations for the Commission decision establishing the details of this mechanism are now advancing. It will be adopted before the end of 2006. It will allow the Commission to be thoroughly informed about the further reforms and actions in these important areas.
There is one issue that I know to be of particular importance to the European Parliament: that of the application of safeguard measures. I can assure you that the Commission will apply the appropriate safeguard measures if one of the countries fails to fulfil the benchmarks adequately. The Commission can decide to apply the justice and home affairs safeguard measures at any time, if necessary.
Bulgaria and Romania will certainly enrich the Union without compromising the proper functioning of our common policies and institutions."@en1
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