В броя на FT от 6 април, днес, има публикувано писмо от Джефри ван Орден, докладчик на ЕП за България, посветено изцяло на приемането на България в ЕС. БТА и медиите отразяват.
From Geoffrey Van Orden MEP.
Sir, The European Council should decide at its June 15 summit that Bulgaria and Romania be allowed to accede to the European Union on January 1 2007 as promised – with specific safeguards if necessary. The Commission should make the appropriate recommendation concerning the accession date in its report to parliament and Council on May 16. A judgment on post-accession measures could be made following the subsequent Commission report in November.
Give clear lead on Bulgarian accession
By Geoffrey Van Orden
Published: April 6 2006 03:00 | Last updated: April 6 2006 03:00
From Geoffrey Van Orden MEP.
Sir, The European Council should decide at its June 15 summit that Bulgaria and Romania be allowed to accede to the European Union on January 1 2007 as promised – with specific safeguards if necessary. The Commission should make the appropriate recommendation concerning the accession date in its report to parliament and Council on May 16. A judgment on post-accession measures could be made following the subsequent Commission report in November.Continued speculation about delaying accession for a year creates an uncertain economic and business environment in Bulgaria, erodes public confidence, and encourages extremist elements there that oppose democratic development and attachment to the EU and Nato. It also sends the wrong signal to other countries in the western Balkans (“Brussels must offer Balkans a credible future”, April 3).It is true that progress in certain areas, particularly in relation to the functioning of the Bulgarian judiciary and the fight against organised crime and corruption has been slow. However, this is being remedied through a new penal code, constitutional changes which include reduction of immunities, the appointment of a dynamic and untainted chief prosecutor, and the restructuring of police and investigative services.When debating Bulgaria and Romania’s EU accession, it is too often forgotten that these two countries complete the last round of enlargement, and are not part of the next, which currently includes Turkey, Croatia, and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.There are now some elements within the EU – including those who retain a misplaced vision of a highly integrated European federal state – that seek to slow the pace of enlargement.British Conservatives, on the other hand, welcome enlargement as a catalyst of economic and political change both within and beyond the EU’s boundaries, extending the range of stability and prosperity in Europe.In the process, we insist that the interests of our nation and citizens are properly protected, but we would not wish our views to be lumped with those of certain strands within the European People’s party who seek to set limits on the EU in order to deepen the process of European integration (“MEP presses EU entry case for Bulgaria and Romania”,April 3).Geoffrey Van Orden,Conservative MEP for the East of England,European Parliament’s Rapporteur for Bulgaria
