UK Firmly Backs Bulgaria, Romania EU Entry

Sofia News Agency ^ | 29 June 2005

[Panerai]

UK that will assume the EU Presidency on Friday is firmly backing Bulgaria and Romania's entry into the Union, UK Ambassador to Bulgaria said.

Ambassador Jeremy Hill pointed out that the aim of the safeguard clauses is to guarantee the readiness of the two countries. "The accent was on the need of the tasks executions," Ambassador Hill said.

He also said that over the next few months it would be extremely important for Bulgaria to speed up its further development.

Bulgaria and Romania expect to join the Union on January 1 2007, together with Romania. A European Commission team is to arrive in Sofia in late August to prepare a progress report, due in November that would confirm the date of Bulgaria's accession.

The UK EU presidency is to take on five of Europe's toughest political issues as priorities from July 1.

British leader Tony Blair pledged to consult the European Parliament during his presidency. Debates over the liberalisation of Europe's services market and EU employment rights setting working time may not be best brokered by Britain.

[Nussbaum]

The biggest mistake they made in the EU(except for letting england join) was the eastern enlargement. Not because there is anything wrong with it perse but they didnt have a constitution yet to handle it.

Then people vote against the constitution largely because they were against enlargement and on the summit which followed up on that rejecting the europolitcians decide to halt everything BUT further enlargement.