MEPs question new EU entries

MEPs are registering concerns over Romania and Bulgaria’s EU membership bids – and moves could raise questions over a planned 2007 entry for both countries.

The European Parliament is scheduled to vote on EU entry for Sofia and Bucharest on Wednesday.

But ahead of the vote MEPs from the centre-right EPP-ED group and the Green group are pushing for a delay.

"There is widespread concern about today's vote," one parliament source told EUpolitix.

"The EPP and Socialists are split and the Green's aren't coherent on it either."

Leader of the EPP, Hans Gert Poettering is due to make a speech ahead of today's planned vote, calling for parliment's vote to be put back - closer to the 2007 entry date.

"Some MEPs feel that this vote is too early. When Austria joined the EU, the Parliament voted on their entry six months before it happened. Romania and Bulgaria's entry is not scheduled until 2007," said the source.

Although parliament has no official power to stop either country entering the EU, any delay to a vote, ahead of the signing of the EU treaties in both countries on April 25, would send a strong political signal.

EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn called on MEPs yesterday to back Bucharest and Sofia's entry bid, and tried to reassure the parliament that their views would be taken into account in a European Commission monitoring report due in November.

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