"The states that do not join the European Union till 2004 will receive enough help and attention to do it later. Ten of the EU membership applicants have real chances of joining EU till 2004, but Bulgaria and Romania are not among them. This is not my personal assessment; this is a period set out by the states themselves. Their plans envisage joining the EU after 2004 and this is absolutely realistic, given the current stage in their preparation," Verheugen pointed out.

“I would be vary glad if Bulgaria, comma, Romania – you see, I’m trying to separate these states – if these sates have the chance to join EU in 2004,” Gunter Verheugen said in answer to BBC question whether the two applicant states are bound with each other. "Unfortunately there is no such chance. Bulgaria and Romania are not packed or grouped together, the applications of the two states are reviewed separately and the negotiations are conducted with each one of them. None of them should wait for the other to catch up. Both state will have a crucial role in the future of the EU,” Verheugen claims. "They are the most important factors for maintaining stability in the Balkans and this is a role they already perform. This fully justifies the invitation they received to join EU. I assessed the progress that has been made in the two countries as surprisingly high. Usually I don’t use such superlatives. This proves our intention not to push these states to the background, quite the opposite. After the first enlargement wave we will focus our intention on the states that have not yet joined the EU.”

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