September 26, 2005

ROMANIA: According to Rehn , Romania has Made Progress in Justice Reform, Competition

Exactly one month before the release of the European Commission's monitoring report on Romania , European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn stated in Bratislava that Romania had made progress in the justice reform and competition field, and that it achieved an important economic growth, of eight per cent, one of the most important economic development rates around Europe last year. Rehn , who took part in the Convention of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR), held in the Slovak capital city on Friday and Saturday, had a meeting with PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu , who won a second consecutive mandate as ELDR vice-president.

In a press conference, the Commissioner for Enlargement nonetheless refrained from hazarding an estimate regarding the European Commission assessment on Romania . Tariceanu stated he provided detailed information to Rehn , regarding the way the Government was working for meeting Romania's EU accession commitments, and that the same aspect was discussed with some of the Liberal members of the European Parliament, who will play an important part in the discussions on the Country Report in late October.

Olli Rehn stated that enlargement of the European Union generated more exports, better investment opportunities and more jobs, both for the new, and for the older European Union Member States. He also believes that, as far as the European project is concerned, enlargement is “not part of the problem, but part of the solution.”

“If we look at Romania , Bulgaria , Croatia or Turkey , they all have grown fast in economic terms. Over the past year, Romania and Turkey reported the highest economic growth rates, by eight-nine per cent,” he pointed out, adding that the united Europe continues to need structural reforms to ensure economic growth.

Premier postpones visit to The Netherlands

The PM announced that, because of the floods that once again struck Southern Romania , he had decided to defer his visit to The Netherlands scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. Tariceanu presented to European Liberals the priorities of the Government he is leading, in an address in which he focused on the investments in education, research and innovation, flexibility of the labour , product and service markets, regional cooperation and infrastructure development. In a statement to the media, given jointly with Graham Watson, leader of the Liberal-Democratic floor group in the European Parliament, Tariceanu also emphasised the part to be played by Liberal policies in the future enlargement of the European Union.

President of the ELDR was elected Annemie Neyts , of the Flemish Liberal Party in Belgium . Attending the Convention were Prime Ministers, European Commissioners and EMPs , along with 300 delegates of democrat and liberal parties in Europe . ELDR brings together 47 political parties with a liberal, democratic and reformist doctrine, and elections are held on a biannual basis.

Greek support

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis called for the timely accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union during his official visit to France over the weekend. In an interview with Le Figaro daily, Kostas Karamanlis admitted he is preoccupied over the possible delay of the entry of the two countries, scheduled for January 1, 2007 . “These countries made a serious effort to fulfil their obligations under difficult conditions. Europe should not send a negative signal to these countries, whose stability depends on the choice that they made in favour of Europe ,” Karamanlis stated. “If it does not keep its word, it will lose this confidence,” he added. The Greek PM said Europe made a commitment towards these countries and now it has to keep it. “We can not tell them that we have problems and that they have to wait in the lobby”.


by Raluca Patru
Source: Nine O'Clock