By Daisy Ayliffe - 5th September 2006
STRASBOURG: The Bulgarian prime minister has urged the EU to offer Bulgaria a “dignified” entry.
Following high level meetings at the European parliament on Tuesday, Sergei Stanishev said he is working hard to ensure Europeans afford Bulgaria the respect it deserves.
“Today I stressed that we wish to join the EU in a dignified way,” the Bulgarian premier told reporters.
“We want to contribute to the success of the EU and I believe we can help Europe overcome the crises it has suffered in recent years.”
Under EU accession treaties signed with Bulgaria and Romania, either country’s entry could be postponed until 2008 if it is not deemed ready to join at the start of next year.
And while EU officials have hinted that entry on January 1 2007 looks likely, they have also suggested that Bulgaria may initially be excluded from areas where it is not fully prepared for membership.
So-called “safe-guards” could be applied to the legislative domains of corruption and organised crime – two areas of concern highlighted by the European commission last week.
But would entry under such conditions provide Sofia with the sort of dignity it is looking for?
“Our position is to wait and see what the European commission proposes in September,” Stanishev hit back.
“Some small safeguards can be applied in the first three years of any country joining.”
But tougher safeguards could mean the court rulings of the new member state Bulgaria are not fully valid in the EU.
Or a new country could even be excluded from the EU's common border policy.
In May, the European commission postponed its recommendations on Bulgaria and Romania - to exert pressure for further reform.
As the EU executive prepares the final stages of its latest report, Stanishev insists his country is now ready for entry.
“In the last 15 years Bulgaria has gone through painful and costly changes,” he said.
“I have plenty of examples of how Bulgaria is fighting corruption and organised crime, it is difficult to follow all of the examples each day. I just hope the commission assesses Bulgaria’s progress objectively.”
The commission presents its report on Bulgarian and Romanian preparedness on September 26.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.