The leaders of Bulgaria and Romania remained defiant this week in the wake of a delayed judgment on their respective bids to join the EU – and amid growing European unease about the union’s further enlargement east.
On Tuesday, in a thinly veiled warning from the European Commission, the Balkan nations were given less than five months to prove they are ready to join the bloc, and were in effect cautioned they risk delayed entry and the loss of hundreds of millions of euros in subsidies.
But the prime ministers from both countries bluntly rejected the possibility of a delay in accession, instead striking defiantly upbeat notes on their respective efforts. In an exclusive interview with Emerging Markets, Bulgaria’s prime minister Sergey Stanishev dismissed the suggestion that his government would pay a political price if Bulgaria did not get the green light for January membership.
“Nobody has changed the lights. There is no other light for EU entry – but green. Bulgarian society has already paid a high price for the reforms necessary for joining the union,” he said, adding that the report held no surprises for him.
EU president Jose Barroso pointed out this week that Bulgaria had six “red flag” areas of serious concern to Brussels, including the fight against corruption, organized crime, money laundering and the control of EU funds.
Stanishev believes the report to be “accurate and balanced” and said it serves “as a powerful impetus to continue our work at an even faster pace, so that we would be able to join the EU with dignity.”
Romania was shown four “red flags”, all in technical areas such as agricultural payment systems. But Olli Rehn, EU enlargement commissioner, said Bucharest had yet to prove its recent crackdown on corruption and serious crime was permanent.
The Commission will assess whether the two countries have heeded its warnings. If not, it could recommend delaying the entry date by a year.
Romania’s prime minister, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, staunchly defended his country’s steps towards reform, however. “Let’s make things clear: my government has implemented a deep reform” to weed out corruption, he said in an exclusive interview with Emerging Markets.
But the official noted the report was the best his country had ever had from the EC. He said it sent “two key messages about my country: Romania has made major progress in its accession preparation, and reforms must carry on at high pace”, and 2007 entry was “fully achievable”.
While both countries’ eventual accession is guaranteed, enlargement is no longer a popular concept in Europe. Analysts believe the EU’s tough stance could be an oblique warning to future EU hopefuls, including Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey. “Perhaps the EU wants to show its scepticism about enlargement,” said Fabrizio Coricelli, fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research. “It’s like saying: ‘we have to do it but without much enthusiasm. For the others, you can forget about it.’”
An official at the Croatian foreign ministry said that 2008 entry “might be a little early for Croatia”, and added that the country was likely to be ready for EU membership in the middle of 2009.
“Croatia wants Bulgaria and Romania to accede to the EU on 1 January 2007. This will send a positive message not only to Croatia but to all countries in the region, that enlargement goes on and there is no enlargement fatigue”, he said.