Romania may join EU in 2005-2006

European leaders consider that Romania and Bulgaria are the only applicant countries that are not expected to join the EU in 2004, but they welcomed the progress posted by Romania, at the Laeken summit organised last weekend.

The heads of EU countries pledged to focus on Romania and Bulgaria so that the two countries might open all the negotiation chapters next year.

President Ion liescu, who was invited at the Laeken summit, in a speech delivered in front of the 15 leaders said that Romania was planning to conclude accession negotiations by mid 2003.

Conclusions of the summit are positive for Romania, President Iliescu said, adding that support for the laggard countries was reinforced at Laeken, but completion of joining preparations depended on Romania.

Ion Iliescu told the European leaders that Romanian authorities were aware that a premature EU accession might create difficulties to Romania, if Romanian economy failed to cope with the free competition.

Ion Iliescu’s speech suggests a shift in Romania’s accession policy. If Bucharest concludes the accession negotiations by mid 2003, during Greece’s EU chairmanship, Romania might join the EU in 2004 if it is economically prepared, as the procedure of ratifying Romania’s accession treaty takes one year.

The Romanian Government previously targeted 2006-2007 as the accession date. “It is not enough to be willing to join the EU earlier; we have to be able to do that,” Ion Iliescu stated.

Bulgaria has already announced last week that it had changed the accession policy and planned to join the EU in 2004 together with the other applicant countries.

The EU officials labelled Bulgaria’s change of policy as “unrealistic.” EU commissioner for Enlargement Gunter Verheugen said that Bulgaria needed “Harry Potter’s magic” in order to join the EU in 2004.