Politics » Bulgaria in EU
The European Commission urged Bulgaria and Romania to speed up reforms before their planned accession into the European Union on January 1, 2007 and delayed its final recommendation on their entry review.
The European Commission will make Bulgaria and Romania wait until the last minute to find out whether they can join the European Union in 2007, or have to wait another year, unofficial information shows.
Bulgaria has disappointed EU rapporteur Geoffrey Van Orden by not progressing enough in fields that were particularly problematical.
That was revealed by Van Orden himself in an interview for private Bulgarian Darik Radio on Tuesday.
Bulgaria is eagerly expecting the European Commission Monitoring report that will be presented Tuesday afternoon.
The European Union is about to postpone Bulgaria's entry into the Bloc for 2008 but that decision will be announced in the autumn, reports say.
Local Darik radio cited an anonymous representative of the European People's Party as saying that the European
Bulgaria's ruling coalition is confident ahead of EC's Monitoring Report and is convinced that it will be objective and will give clear and positive signals for the European future of the country.
The leaders of the three-way coalition Sergey Stanishev,
Bulgaria's prime minister expressed hopes for a fair EU report at a meeting with European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs.
Stanishev said that the country expects a fair Monitoring Report and will accept the criticisms levelled in the area
The UK might see as much as 300,000 new workers from Bulgaria and Romania if the country allows unrestricted access when the two countries join EU.
That was suggested by Migrationwatch as cited by the Daily Telegraph on Monday.
It seems EU-aspirant Bulgaria and Romania will receive an OK on their membership's bids, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
Bulgaria's EU Foreign Affairs Minister Ivaylo Kalfin joins Monday and Tuesday counterparts from the EU in Brussels to take part in the regular meeting of the bloc's General Affairs and External Relations Council.
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Bulgaria's EU bid is still suffering from endemic corruption, which is giving the EU pause for thought before it allows the Balkan country to join, the Guardian wrote on Monday.
Hours before the crucial May 16 report, EU Commission President Jose Barroso expressed his full support for the fastest possible accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.
"We are going to take the decision on Tuesday, but I am not in a pos
MEPs face a packed May Strasbourg agenda after the official opening of the session on Monday afternoon.
At 4 pm Bulgarian time on Tuesday, the European Commission will announce its latest position on the progress made by Romania and Bulgaria towards acce
In an article entitled "Europe's "Wild East" is ready to go West", the British Sunday Telegraph tells about the country's hardships, prospects and expectations en route to the European Union.
An eventual triggering of safeguard clauses for Bulgaria will turn it into a second-class member state in the perception of Europeans, said Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the European Parliament.
In an inter
The European Union is very likely to impose two safeguard clauses on Bulgaria, it emerged Sunday after local media obtained a draft European Commission report.
Poor and corrupt nations have entered the European Union before, but never has the EU tried to absorb countries that are so poor, so corrupt - and where democracy is so fragile - as Romania and Bulgaria, the Telegraph wrote in a highly critical article in
The European Union wants Bulgaria and Romania to make the best of the time left and implement reforms as fast as possible to enter the union in 2007.
The justice minister admitted he would not be surprised to see the justice and home affairs safeguard clause imposed on Bulgaria.
A high-ranking Romanian official has received assurances that the Dutch Senate will ratify Bulgaria and Romania's EU Accession Treaty on June 13, bringing the process to a close.
EC President Jose Barroso and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will pay a three-hour-visit to Bulgaria on May 17, a day after the decisive EU Monitoring report is presented.
After the three hours spent in Sofia the EU officials will leave for Romani
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