The path to browse is particularly long in the case of the Bulgaria

It does badine with enlargement and it does not interact on the criteria that must comply with the candidate countries. This is the message of firmness that sent yesterday in Strasbourg, the European Commission decided to postpone to October its decision on the Bulgaria and the Romania entry into the Union on January 1, 2007.

"The Union must respect the commitments it has made, but showing rigorously on the compliance by the candidate countries." Since October, the Bulgaria and the Romania continued to make progress. But further progress, including on justice and security, are still needed. "These two countries will be ready to join the Union on 1 January 2007, if they seriously tackle these issues", explained the first before the European Parliament, José Manuel Barroso, the President of the Commission, that optimistic.

Organized crime

But, moments later, the Commissioner for enlargement, Olli Rehn, was more severe. "Unless the countries take immediate and decisive, corrective actions they are not ready at the end of the year", he explained bluntly and without much hope in these two countries which signed a treaty providing for their accession to the Union next January in April 2005.

The report of the Commission states that it will establish a new report on the progress that will make both countries to resolve the problems that remain "to no later than early October" will, "on this basis, consider if the date of their accession on 1 January 2007 can be maintained". Therefore, the door is not closed upon their arrival in seven months. But the least that can be said is that it is barely ajar and the Bulgarian and Romanian governments must redouble their efforts if they want to be at this event.

The path to browse is particularly long in the case of the Bulgaria. For this country, the Commission indeed identifies six "particular concern" areas where the situation is far from satisfactory and consistent with community standards. He comes to the fight against organized crime, against fraud and corruption, laundering of money, but also management of agricultural aid, the collection and processing of animal products and the control of the use of grants from the structural funds. This inventory is, in Romania, as four sectors: the payment of direct aid to farmers, the application of the CAP, animal products and the collection of VAT.

Safeguard clauses

Several scenarios are, therefore, knowing that the Commission seems determined to treat each of the two countries according to its merits in allowing, if necessary, one and postponing the accession of the other. If it considers that the progress made here in October are insufficient, it should delay enlargement year, Member States could not ignore. But it could also allow either of right, if they are fully ready, which seems unlikely, either by providing safeguards clauses. These clauses, of a maximum duration of three years, could exclude these two countries for some common policies are not in a position to apply fully, for example of judicial cooperation, the management of the internal market, agriculture and food security.