Poland's Senate, the higher chamber in the country's bicameral parliament, ratified Bulgaria and Romania's EU Accession Treaty late on March 30 amid high expectations of a positive outcome in both Sofia and Bucharest.

A total of 71 senators in the 100-seat senate supported the treaty.

The nod of approval by the Senate is expected to be followed by the presidential approval in the next few days.

Seventeen out of twenty-five member states have completed the ratification procedure of Bulgaria and Romania's accord with the EU so far. Poland, Lithuania and Belgium were the latest members states to give the green light to the treaty.

Sofia is hoping that all member states will ratify its EU accession treaty before the European Commission monitoring report in the spring of 2006, fearing a delay in its accession due to a delay in the ratifications.

If the notification of the ratification in all member states is not completed by 31 December 2006, the accession treaty will not enter into force and it will have to be renegotiated.

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