P6_TA(2006)0512

Accession of Romania

European Parliament resolution on the accession of Romania to the European Union (2006/2115(INI))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Treaty of Accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union [1], signed on 25 April 2005,

- having regard to all its previous resolutions and reports since the beginning of the enlargement process, in particular its most recent resolution of 14 June 2006 on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania [2],

- having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 15/ 16 June 2006,

- having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on enlargement of 17 October 2006,

- having regard to the Commission's monitoring report on Romania of 26 September 2006 (COM(2006)0549) and its previous monitoring reports,

- having regard to the exchange of letters between the President of the European Parliament and the President of the Commission on the full involvement of the European Parliament in any consideration of activation of one of the safeguard clauses in the Treaty of Accession,

- having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (A6-0421/2006),

A. whereas Romania's accession to the European Union is a major historical development, accompanied by a profound change in the economic, social and civil landscape of the country, and whereas this accession will have positive effects on the Romanian population and on the development and cohesion of the European Union,

B. whereas the integration of Romania into the European Union will contribute to the stability and prosperity of south-east Europe,

C. whereas the incorporation of Romania into the European Union will strengthen the political and cultural dimension of the process of European integration,

D. whereas the first stage of the fifth enlargement in 2004 proved beneficial for both the old and new Member States, and whereas this will undoubtedly also be true of the current stage of enlargement, which will bring the fifth enlargement to a conclusion,

E. whereas, since the Commission report in May 2006, further significant improvements can be noted, as detailed in the Commission's most recent monitoring report of 26 September 2006,

F. whereas Romania is continuing its efforts to fulfil the conditions set in the Treaty of Accession, so as to become a member of the Union on 1 January 2007, together with Bulgaria, and whereas Parliament has consistently expressed its desire to see these two countries join at the same time,

1. Commends the Commission on the conscientious and rigorous nature of its work on monitoring the reforms undertaken by Romania;

2. Congratulates Romania and welcomes its accession on 1 January 2007, looks forward to the arrival in due course of its 35 Members of the European Parliament as well as its Commissioner and officials in the EU institutions, and recognises the excellent contribution made by Romania's Observers in the European Parliament since September 2005;

3. Highlights the fact that the current enlargement of the European Union, like previous ones, embodies the ideas of European unity and solidarity, benefiting all parties and making it possible to promote the values of democracy, equality, pluralism and non-discrimination;

4. Welcomes the fact that the Commission's report of 26 September 2006 recommended that Bulgaria and Romania should join simultaneously;

5. Welcomes the considerable progress made by the country since the May 2006 report and therefore approves the proposed date of 1 January 2007 for Romania's accession, but reminds the Romanian authorities that they need to keep up the pace of reforms after accession;

6. Commends the efforts made by Romania to ensure the introduction of a large number of reforms in preparation for its accession and congratulates the Romanian authorities on the extensive progress made in a short space of time;

7. Points out that the reform process is beneficial for Romania in the context of EU accession, while also contributing to the economic prosperity and security of the country;

8. Notes that substantial progress has been made in the areas identified by the Commission in its May 2006 report as requiring immediate action, namely reform of the justice system, the fight against corruption, the introduction of paying agencies and the Integrated Administration and Control System, TSE and the interconnectivity of tax collection systems;

9. Notes with satisfaction that Romania has a viable market economy with GDP growth of almost 7% and an unemployment rate of around 5,5 %;

10. Encourages Member States to open their labour markets to Romanian workers from 1 January 2007, in accordance with the full spirit of the right of free movement of workers guaranteed by Community law;

11. Stresses, with a view to the forthcoming financial transfers from the EU and the need for co-financing by Romania, that the likely budget redeployments must not take place exclusively at the expense of, or lead to reductions in, social expenditure;

12. Urges the Romanian Government to consolidate the reforms it has undertaken, and urges the Romanian authorities to step up their efforts, particularly in the fields of child protection, integration of minorities, in particular the Roma and Hungarian minorities, and the treatment of the mentally handicapped; calls on Romania in this respect to take immediate steps to remedy the shortcomings by fulfilling the requirements of the Commission's 2005 and 2006 Comprehensive Monitoring Reports and Parliament's resolutions adopted in 2004 and 2005;

13. Notes that since the Commission's May 2006 report, progress has been made on the minority issue; recalls that its position on minorities in Romania is based on the principles of respect, recognition and support for minorities, and on the eradication of all forms of violence and discrimination against them; wishes to see the law on minorities approved as soon as possible, respecting the political criteria; notes that the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia will continue its monitoring with respect to the fight against racism and related discrimination after accession, as it does for all Member States;

14. On the Roma minority: urges the Romanian authorities to consolidate the reforms they have undertaken in the fields of protection against institutional violence, the improvement of living standards and accommodation, and access to employment and health care system, by ensuring adequate funding;

15. On the Hungarian minority: invites the Romanian authorities to take into account the expectations of the Hungarian minority, in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and cultural self-governance, in particular by ensuring adequate funding for the improvement of education standards;

16. Suggests that the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs carry out monitoring, from 1 January 2007, of the reforms undertaken on adoption and child protection in Romania;

17. Expresses its concern at the serious and continuing problem of violence against women, which is having major implications in terms of trafficking in women and their sexual exploitation inside and outside the country (800000 victims annually), and domestic violence, and calls on the Government to take decisive measures in response to this problem, in respect of prevention, awareness and countermeasures in cooperation with the general public, the relevant NGOs, the judiciary and the police at regional, national and international level;

18. Notes that Romania needs to speed up the processing of claims relating to the restitution of properties confiscated by the communist regime, with special regard to church and community properties, in order not to remain blocked at the level of legislation; stresses that, to that end, it is necessary to set up a functional Property Fund;

19. Requests the Romanian authorities to make further efforts in the implementation of the legislation on protection of the environment, and calls for consultation with neighbouring countries and vigorous application of standards in the spirit of the relevant EU legislation (e.g. Directive 2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the management of waste from extractive industries [3]), with special attention being paid to large-scale mining projects having substantial environmental implications, as in the case of Rosia Montana;

20. Notes that the Commission has identified three areas in which substantial progress had been made since its May 2006 report, but that further efforts are still needed:

- reform of the justice system and the fight against corruption;

- absorption and management of Union aid in the agricultural sector and from Structural Funds;

- application of the acquis communautaire in certain areas of food safety;

21. Stresses that, among the three areas concerned, the finalisation of the reform of the justice system and the fight against corruption are essential and should therefore be the focus of special attention from the Romanian authorities;

22. Supports the introduction by the Commission of mechanisms to verify and support progress in these areas, based in particular on the identification of specific criteria, and strongly urges the Romanian Government to take all necessary measures to meet the expectations set out, so that recourse to safeguard clauses can be avoided;

23. Points out that, although temporary measures may be applied during the first three years following accession, equivalent measures were applied during the previous enlargement process to the benefit of all parties concerned; hopes that these mechanisms will apply only to very specific areas identified by the Commission and for a limited period; points out that appropriate measures to ensure the proper functioning of EU policies can only be lifted when the benchmarks, as set by the Commission, have been fully met;

24. Awaits the Commission report due in June 2007 on the country's progress in reforming the judiciary and combating corruption; calls on Romania to do all in its power to take the appropriate measures;

25. Insists that the Commission should report systematically to Parliament on the progress made by Romania in the coming months and that Parliament be (closely) associated in the monitoring mechanism proposed by the Commission after accession;

26. Stresses that the Romanian Government must be aware of the need to make full use of the remaining time available so as to continue its efforts to consolidate the results achieved;

27. Urges speedy ratification of the Accession Treaty by the two remaining Member States that have yet to do so;

28. Calls on the Commission to provide appropriate funding for information campaigns to improve the level of public awareness as regards the accession of Romania (and Bulgaria);

29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of Romania.

[1] OJ L 157, 21.6.2005, p. 11.

[2] Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0262.

[3] OJ L 102, 11.4.2006, p. 15.

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