Romania and Bulgaria get go-ahead for EU accession

European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso and the Commissioner for Enlargement Ollie Rehn yesterday confirmed before the European Parliament that Romania and Bulgaria will join the EU on January 1, 2007. They warned, however, that the two countries might be subject to the safeguarding clauses with respect to judicial, structural funds and food safety issues, if they fail to meet the requirements after the accession. The two high-ranking officials confirmed: the “conditionalities” that will have to be met to avoid these clauses will be much stricter than for the other countries. “This is a historic achievement that allows unification of Europe. I congratulate the Bulgarian and Romanian citizens and the authorities in the two countries for the efforts they have made to meet the accession criteria. The accession of the two countries is a positive thing both for them and for the European Union, contributing to the strengthening of the Union’s economic power,” the head of the Commission stated before the MEPs. This being a historic moment is what the representatives of the administration in Bucharest and the parties talked about. President Traian Basescu and Premier Calin Popescu-Tariceanu made statements together at Cotroceni Place. During the report presentation, the Commissioner for Enlargement focused on the safeguarding measures that could be set for the two countries, arguing the enforcement of a such a system by saying that the Commission was the “guardian of treaties” and its call was to look after the best interests of the EU citizens.