European Parliament resolution on Bulgaria's progress towards accession (COM(2004)0657 — C6-0150/2004 — 2004/2183(INI))
Date: 2004-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Bulgaria, accession to the European Union, economic situation, political situation

15.9.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 226 E/351

Thursday 16 December 2004

36.
Believes that the EU should focus more than in the past on the effective implementation of existing
law; calls on the Commission to take speedier, more consistent action in ensuring the proper transposition
and enforcement of EU law in Member States, with more pro-active legal action against being taken against
serious offences;

37.
Believes that the financial perspectives already proposed by the Commission for the period post-2006
should take proper account of developments since last spring, reflect the new Commission's priorities (in
line with this resolution), and run for a financing period in line with the length of the mandates of the
Parliament and the Commission;

38.
Stresses the need for the Commission to continue its internal reform drive, with a view to turning its
administration into a world-class international civil service that uses modern management practices and
offers full openness and accountability in the use of public money;

39.
Demands that the specific commitments made at the hearings of the Commissioners designate
regarding possible conflicts of interest be adhered to and feature in any new code of conduct agreed
between the Parliament and the Commission;

Underlines the important role of the Commission in communicating to citizens why Europe matters
40.
and what Europe is trying to achieve; believes that the Commission should draw up, as a matter of urgency,
an appropriate communication and campaign strategy which presents the new Constitution to Europe's
citizens in as clear, fair and understandable a way as possible;

41.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

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P6_TA(2004)0110

Bulgaria's progress towards accession

European Parliament resolution on Bulgaria's progress towards accession (COM(2004)0657 —
C6-0150/2004 — 2004/2183(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission's 2004 Regular Report on Bulgaria's progress towards accession (SEC

(2004)1199) and Strategy Paper (COM(2004)0657 — C6-0150/2004),

— having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of

the Copenhagen European Council of 12 and
13 December 2002, the Thessaloniki European Council of 19 and 20 June 2003 and the Brussels
European Council of 12 and 13 December 2003,

— having regard to its resolutions since the beginning of the accession process,

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

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on

Budgets (A6-0065/2004),

A. whereas Bulgaria is a part of the current inclusive and irreversible enlargement process,

B. whereas the accession process must be based on the own merits principle and the timing of Bulgaria's
accession should not be linked to that of any other candidate country, and whereas Bulgaria should
therefore accede to the EU on the basis of an individual accession treaty,

C. whereas Bulgaria continues its steady progress on the path to accession to the European Union, having
provisionally closed all 31 negotiating chapters, and is therefore well on course for accession in January
2007,

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15.9.2005

Thursday 16 December 2004

1. Welcomes the Commission's conclusion that Bulgaria continues to fulfil the Copenhagen political
criteria, that its economic structures and performance have again significantly improved and that the level
of alignment and implementation of commitments all place Bulgaria on track for accession within the
envisaged timeframe;

Strongly supports the ongoing reform of Bulgaria's public administration and the amendments to its

2.
Civil Service law strengthening the merit principle;

3. Welcomes the channelling of significantly increased resources into judicial reform and calls for further
increased efforts to counter organised crime and corruption as well as trafficking in people; urges the Bul-
garian authorities to take effective action to prevent abuse of powers by state authorities against persons
entering or transiting Bulgaria; calls on Bulgaria further to take steps to improve conditions for those held
in police custody by introducing adequate training for police officers;

4.
Calls on Bulgaria to take further effective action to prevent trafficking in people, especially women and
children, including the establishment of a reliable data base for abused and missing persons as well as a
reliable system of witness protection;

5.
Commends Bulgaria on its efforts to develop a framework to tackle the problems faced by minorities;
calls on Bulgaria, assisted by greater targeted action on the part of the Commission, to take determined
measures to expedite the integration of the Roma into mainstream society, particularly through provision of
educational and employment opportunities, improved living conditions and access to health care and family
planning, while at the same time recognising the need for the Roma themselves to adapt and to assume
responsibilities in all those areas;

6. Welcomes the progress made in child welfare but calls for clarification and strengthening of ministerial
responsibility within a single, well-resourced agency, greater transparency in the international adoption sys-
tem and significant improvement in the situation of children in institutions and special schools; calls on
Bulgaria to pay special attention to the situation of persons placed by public authorities in homes for adults
with mental disorders;

Supports the Commission's conclusion that Bulgaria is a functioning market economy and commends
7.
Bulgaria on its continuous GDP growth, significant decrease in the rate of unemployment and record levels
of foreign direct investment while noting that unemployment is still high, many people still fail to see
improvement in their economic situation, and the emigration of highly qualified people, together with low
mobility of regional labour forces, is creating shortages in some key sectors;

Commends Bulgaria on developing the administrative capacity to implement the ‘acquis’ and notes

8.
that it is on track for early completion of the required legislative transposition;

9.
Points out that for the years 2000 to 2004 total financial pre-accession assistance to Bulgaria has
amounted to around EUR 178 million annually from PHARE, EUR 57,6 million from Sapard and between
EUR 93 and EUR 127 million from ISPA; supports the decision to provide additional PHARE funding of
EUR 550 million over the period 2000 to 2009 to facilitate the changing of the Kozloduy nuclear power
plant;

Calls on the Commission to improve the management and targeting of Community funds in order to

10.
maximise their cost-effectiveness;

Assures Bulgaria that the Parliament will continue to monitor Bulgaria's further progress in its acces-

11.
sion preparations;

12.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to reward the progress and achievements made by Bulgaria
in its preparations by adhering to the principle of ‘own merits’ and concluding negotiations and signing the
Accession Treaty as early as possible in 2005, preferably in the early spring, thus enabling timely ratification
and accession on 1 January 2007;

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday 16 December 2004

Calls on the Council and Commission, once the Accession Treaty is concluded, to examine the possi-

13.
bilities of increasing pre-accession financial assistance;

14.
Expresses its grave concern over the plight of the Bulgarian and Palestinian medical workers arrested
in 1999 as suspects in a criminal case and the death sentences handed down against them on 6 May 2004;
pending the appeal process, trusts that Libya, upon re-examination of existing evidence, may wish to con-
clude that justice would be served by their release at the earliest opportunity;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Bulgarian

15.
Government and Parliament.

P6_TA(2004)0111

Romania's progress towards accession

European Parliament resolution on Romania's progress towards accession (COM(2004)0657 —
C6-0151/2004 — 2004/2184(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission's 2004 Regular Report on Romania's progress towards accession and
to the Commission Strategy Paper on progress in the enlargement process (COM(2004)0657 —
C6-0151/2004),

— having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of

the Copenhagen European Council of 12 and

13 December 2002 and the Brussels European Council of 12 and 13 December 2003,

— having regard to all its resolutions since the start of the accession process,

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

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on

Budgets (A6-0061/2004),

A. whereas Romania has made significant efforts to move towards accession,

B. whereas the assessment of Romania is based on strict observance of the Copenhagen criteria and the
Presidency Conclusions of the Helsinki European Council of 10 and 11 December 1999, as well as on
the principle of a differentiated approach,

C. whereas further efforts are needed, especially in the sphere of justice and home affairs as regards com-
bating corruption and organised crime and as regards border checks, and in the area of competition as
regards state aid, and also in the field of the environment as regards the implementation of legislation
in all sectors and the alignment of horizontal legislation,

Political situation and criteria

1.
Acknowledges that, as the Commission's report concluded, Romania is satisfying the Copenhagen
political criteria and has strengthened the stability of its institutions, thereby guaranteeing democracy, the
rule of law, human rights, and respect for, and protection of, minorities, those of the Hungarians no less
than those of the Roma, although the need remains for further reforms in the spheres of justice and public
administration and greater efforts to combat corruption;

2.
Congratulates Romania on the progress achieved as regards administrative and judicial reforms and on
the launch of the strategy to reform public administration, essential for decentralisation and devolved
is confident that Romania recognises the
organisation of the civil service and for policy coordination;