EU INSTITUTIONS POSITIVE ON BULGARIA`S ADOPTION

Politics | September 7, 2001, Friday // 00:00

The European Parliament expressed the strong support of the European institutions for Bulgaria EU candidacy by adopting a resolution on a report about its progress in the pre-accession negotiations. In the document, the European Parliament appraises the support of all Bulgarian political forces to the future membership in the EU and NATO. It also acknowledges Bulgaria`s efforts to implement the political criteria from Copenhagen and to fulfill its responsibilities under the European Agreement. The criticisms are the weaknesses in the government administration. The reform of the judiciary system has been outlined as weak. Bulgaria has to make greater efforts to fight corruption and needs zero tolerance to incorporate new legislative instruments in the field of financial control and transparency. Integration of ethnic Turks is assessed positively as well as the efforts for reducing the percentage of the unemployed. The European Parliament recognizes the achieved additional progress towards a working market economy and the good level of macro-economic stability. It further criticizes the absence of a working land market, the banks continuing to refuse taking land as security for mortgage loans, the delay in the start of the contemplated reform in the energy sector, and the lack of transparency in privatisation deals. Bulgaria`s progress in introducing the European environmental legislation is highly appreciated while the practical implementation of the legislation is still a problem. As of January 2000, the country has access to the pre-accession funds under PHARE, ISPA and SAPARD but it should work to improve its capacity for utilization of PHARE money. Bulgaria has completed the negotiations on 10 chapters of the acquis and has the ambition to open all remaining chapters under the Spanish Presidency at the latest. The resolution concludes that Bulgaria is moving in the right direction in its preparation for membership. It supports the statement of Commissioner Gunter Verheugen, made in March 2001, that year 2004 is an ambitious but not unrealistic deadline for completion of the Bulgarian negotiations with the EU.

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