April 25 2005

Romania and Bulgaria sign EU treaty
By Daniel Dombey in Luxembourg

The European Union on Monday embarked on its most controversial expansion yet, with the signing of a treaty that should allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the 25-nation bloc in 2007.

Romania , whose 23m-strong population will be the EU's seventh largest, was represented by President Traian Basescu , a one-time sea captain. For the smaller Bulgaria population 7.5m it was Simeon Saxe-Coburg, prime minister and former king, who signed the accord.

Yet even as dignitaries assembled for the ceremony in Luxembourg's 17th century Abbey of Neumünster , France fired a few warning shots at the potential entrants.

“This signing does not mean instant membership,” said Michel Barnier , French foreign minister, who attended a foreign ministers' meeting nearby but absented himself for the treaty ceremony.

“We have expressed the need for vigilance,” Mr Barnier said, adding that the two countries' entry could be delayed a year until 2008. He said their preparations on issues such as border controls were important.

EU enlargement is a particularly sensitive issue for the French government. Mounting public concern about the Union 's expansion to the east has become a key theme in the country's referendum on the European constitution, to the detriment of the Yes campaign. A No vote next month could bring the process of enlargement to a halt.

Concerns about corruption, subsidies and border security meant Bucharest and Sofia were held back from the group of 10 states that joined the EU last year. The treaty signed on Monday still needs to be ratified by the 25 EU member states as well as Bulgaria and Romania .