| Series Title | European Voice |
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| Series Details | Vol.12, No.3, 26.1.06 |
| Publication Date | 26/01/2006 |
| Content Type | News |
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Two words feared by the political elite in Sofia and Bucharest are being uttered with regularity by leading figures in Brussels: 'safeguard clause'. In May, the European Commission is to present a report on the two countries' readiness to join the EU. A broadly positive assessment would pave the way to the pair joining the EU in January 2007. But if grave shortcomings are noted, a safeguard clause can be triggered, under which accession is delayed for a further twelve months. MEPs, who are to debate the Commission's report immediately after its publication, are demanding that the authorities in the two countries concentrate on deeds, not words. Bulgaria is being told that some of its most wanted criminals must be jailed in the near future. British Conservative Geoffrey Van Orden, the European Parliament's rapporteur on Bulgaria, said that "arrests and successful prosecutions" were necessary within the next two or three months. Allegations that criminal networks, sometimes linked to figures in Communist-era bodies like the secret service, hold significant sway over the conduct of Bulgaria's political and business affairs and that corruption is deep-rooted in Sofia are considered the biggest obstacles to the country's EU entry. Among the high-profile murders that occurred during 2005 were those of two of the country's richest entrepreneurs: Georgi Iliev, the owner of Lokomotiv-Plovdiv football club, and Emil Kyulev, the owner of DZI Bank. In response to the murder of Kyulev, the interior ministry launched a major deployment of police, gendarmerie and special forces labelled Operat-ion Respect. The operation was embroiled in controversy in November, when policemen beat alleged drug dealer Angel 'Chorata' Dimitrov to death. None of the five officers implicated in his killing has faced criminal charges. Although Van Orden observed that the police unit tackling organised crime was "well-staffed" when he visited Bulgaria before Christmas, he said that "tangible results" must follow from its investigations. A Bulgarian government official said: "Organised crime and corruption are at the top of our agenda. The government is completely aware that tackling them is the most urgent thing to be done." Van Orden said that he did not personally believe that Bulgaria's EU entry should be delayed but that there were many colleagues who could seize on a perceived inaction to advocate a postponement. MEPs from the German centre-right are spearheading calls for the accession of the two countries to be postponed. According to recent reports in the German press, Christian Democrat MEP Elmar Brok, who is close to Chancellor Angela Merkel, has expressed doubts about Bulgaria's readiness to join the EU. But Brok, chairman of Parliament's foreign affairs committee, told European Voice that he was not urging a delay at this stage. "What I say is: 'wait for the report of the Commission and then take a decision'." Some other deputies from the German centre-right are openly questioning whether both Romania and Bulgaria should be admitted to the EU in the next few years. Markus Ferber from the Bavarian Christian Social Union has recently stated that their accession should not be considered as automatic. Even if the safeguard clause were invoked, this should not mean that the two countries will automatically join the Union in 2008, he suggested. Ferber said that ignoring shortcomings in the fight against corruption and organised crime and flaws in border control could convey the impression that the Commission and member states are determined to extend the Union continuously without reflecting on the consequences. Romania's hopes for a smooth road to EU entry have not been helped either by reports that the CIA have interrogated Afghan and Iraqi prisoners at the Mihail Kogalniceanu base. Ferber said that if Parliament's newly formed temporary committee of inquiry on the CIA detention centre found firm evidence against Romania, "we will have to ask if we really share common values about human rights with them". Claude Moraes, a British Labour MEP and a supporter of Romania's EU entry bid, said there was a danger that some deputies would use the claims to delay its accession bid. Romania's Ambassador to the EU, Lazar Comanescu, said that his government was happy to co-operate with Parliament's temporary committee. "We are committed to the full respect of human rights and the total rejection of torture," he added. Olli Rehn, the enlargement commissioner, told both countries last year that they must tackle bribery with greater ferocity than they have so far. "The failure to obtain one single conviction for high-level corruption in recent years despite commonly available information on its scale is a cause for serious concern in both countries," he said. His comments appear to have had some impact, especially in Romania. Last week the former premier Adrian Nastase resigned as leader of the opposition Social Democrats, after his party colleagues questioned whether he was fit to remain at the helm. The national anti-corruption office is investigating how his family amassed considerable wealth. In a recent declaration of interests, Nastase revealed that he inherited three apartments and more than _300,000 from an aunt who died during 2005. His aunt had reputedly lived in poverty but Nastase has claimed that she became wealthy by selling family jewellery and investing in the property market. Bribery allegations ag-ainst government ministers are also being probed. Deputy Prime Minister George Copos, one of Romania's richest men, has been accused of tax evasion in deals he made with the director of the national lottery. Article anticipates the European Commission's report to be presented in May 2006, on the readiness of Bulgaria and Romania to join the EU. A broadly positive assessment was to pave the way to the pair joining the EU in January 2007. But if grave shortcomings were noted, a safeguard clause could be triggered, under which accession would be delayed for a further twelve months. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Countries / Regions | Bulgaria, Romania |
