Greece urged the EU countries on Monday to come up with a strategy to help Bulgaria and Romania speed up accession negotiations, the EUobserver reported. Greek Foreign Minister Papandreou asked his colleagues to enhance the financial assistance for the two countries, which will not join the EU with the first wave, in 2004, and to provide them with a clear roadmap at the Copenhagen summit at the end of the year. The roadmap should also include an estimated accession date, Papandreou said, quoted by the EUobserver. Papandreou explained a roadmap will make thinks clearer for Bucharest and Sofia and will help the two countries accelerate accession preparation. Greece will draft a proposal for an EU strategy for Romania and Bulgaria over the next days. Greece will have a key role to play in the accession of Romania and Bulgaria, as it holds the EU presidency in the first part of 2003, a crucial moment in accession negations. The two countries are set to tackle the toughest negotiation chapter in the first months of the next year. Both Bucharest and Sofia hope to complete negotiations as early as possible in 2003, eventually under Greek presidency.