Tougher monitoring for Romania and Bulgaria
21.05.2004 - 10:20 CET | By Mihaela Gherghisan The European Commission is currently working on putting in place a new and tougher system of monitoring for Romania and Bulgaria, which could delay both countries accession to the EU.
Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, whose country along with Bulgaria is hoping to join the EU in 2007, was told of the plan during a visit last month to Brussels.
The EU already has monitoring mechanisms for accession countries, but this is the first time that Brussels envisages such a strong surveillance of future members.
According to the BBC, quoting EU sources, this will be a "conditional accession", giving the EU the possibility to delay accession for a year "if commitments undertaken during membership negotiations aren't properly implemented".
The ten countries that joined the EU on 1 May this year have had a monitoring mechanism but this did not entail the possibility of delaying EU entry.
The new monitoring system could serve as a precedent for Croatia and Turkey, which hopes to open the accession talks next year.
Reasons to be tough
Romania and Bulgaria, both laggards of this year's enlargement, are supposed to close EU talks by the end of this year and then have two years before actual accession.
The reinforced systems will ensure that the reforms will continue in both countries during this period.
According to the BBC, this reinforced monitoring will help the current Irish EU Presidency to complete negotiations with Bulgaria by June, "while easing the fears of other EU governments about its readiness for actual membership".
And it may also allow for a "staggered" entry of Bulgaria and Romania, as some members of the European Parliament have called for.
Romania fears delay
Although the Romanian authorities think that strong monitoring can only better help the country, President Ion Iliescu fears the country may be facing a delayed EU entry.
Mr Iliescu told Romanian press that any idea of delaying the country's accession is "lacking wisdom and understanding".
......................................