EU Council welcomes Romanian and Bulgaria

Brussels, Dec 15 / Rompres / - EU Council in its Resolution adopted in Brussels , on Friday, welcomed Romania and Bulgaria as EU countries, which President Basescu described as the most important words written about Romania , after 1990. "The EU Council heartedly welcomes Bulgaria and Romania as EU member countries", President Basescu quoted the EU Resolution as saying.

Practically, 16 years of extraordinary work by 22 million people, sometimes more and sometimes less conscious that they have been part in the EU accession process, were materialized in one single sentence in the adopted Resolution , Romania 's President added.

Romanians have opened prospects for themselves, but they have just started building their future, Basescu said, stressing that merits belong to everybody and not only to some politicians or some ruling.

Romania 's EU accession on January 2007 is historically comparable with the Great Union of 1918, said on Friday in a press conference PM Calin Popescu- Tariceanu at the end of the Winter European Council.

He stressed that Romania and Bulgaria 's EU accession as well as the welcome hail for the two countries were the key points of discussions.

"This proves that the European Union and the European Council pays great importance to the accession of the two states and the welcome hails are not mere gestures of complaisance. Romania and Bulgaria 's EU accession was wanted and expected," said the Romanian chief of Government.

Tariceanu added that from now on Romaian citizens will benefit from several rights. He spoke about the right of free circulation, the right of better living and about the solidarity functioning within the European Union between the wealthy and less wealthy states. Romania will receive a substantial financial help until 2013, said the Romanian official.

The premier also referred in his speech to the pressure of European norms in changing the politic and economic realities in Romania . "The EU enlargement was the most important instrument of determination for political changes, for politic and economic reforms in countries that joined EU. It was a factor of mobilization for the population as well as pressure on us," he said, calling the pressure beneficial, as things wouldn't have gone at such a pace after the Romanian mentalities.

The head of Government said that the Central Europe Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) offered to Republic of Moldova and states in Western Balkans an instrument of approach to European structures.