Bulgaria Alarmed over Imperilled EU Entry Date
2004-03-18 00:00:00
Bulgaria's Euro-integration Minister voiced determination to send clear signals that the country's NATO and EU integration processes are on track.

Bulgaria cannot afford to give rise to speculations over its scheduled accession to the European Union, Minister Meglena Kuneva said, reacting to the warnings of EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen.

Every word of the Enlargement Commissioner statement is true, she said.

Speaking to BBC journalists on Wednesday Verheugen urged Bulgaria and Romania to speed up the implementation of judicial system reforms in order to keep their EU hopes on track. He said he did not expect the two countries to have perfect administrative systems, but still had to prove they meet Copenhagen's criteria.

Minister Kuneva said she shares the fears that talks over Bulgaria's budgetary framework may not be wrapped up by the end of the summer.

The European Commission proposed that the share of the EU budget devoted to Romania and Bulgaria for the period 2007-2009 total EUR 15.4 B in commitments and EUR 9 B in actual payments. A total of EUR 4.245 B should go to Bulgaria.

It is our plan to complete negotiations with the European Union this year and sign the accession treaty next year. Otherwise the whole process will be in peril, the minister underlined.

She added that the Bulgarian state must put in more energy to overcome the resistance of the member states.