European Parliament resolution on the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union (2006/2114(INI))
Date: 2006-11-30
Institutions: Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: Bulgaria, Community acquis, accession criteria, accession to the European Union, enlargement of the Union

22.12.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 316 E/117

Thursday 30 November 2006

P6_TA(2006)0510

Fundamental Rights Agency — activities under Title VI TEU *

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council decision empowering the
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights to pursue its activities in areas referred to in Title
VI of the Treaty on European Union (COM(2005)0280 — C6-0289/2005 — 2005/0125(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2005)0280) (1),

— having regard to Article 34(2)(c) of the EU Treaty,

— having regard to Article 39(1) of the EU Treaty, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament

(C6-0289/2005),

— having regard to Rules 93 and 51 of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of

the Committee on Civil Liberties,

Justice and Home Affairs

(A6-0282/2006),

1.

2.

3.

Approves the Commission proposal as amended on 12 October 2006 (2);

Calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly, pursuant to Article 250(2) of the EC Treaty;

Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

Calls on the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to amend the Commission proposal

4.
substantially;

5.

Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and the Commission.

(1) Not yet published in OJ.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0415.

P6_TA(2006)0511

Accession of Bulgaria

European Parliament

resolution on the

accession of Bulgaria

to the European Union

(2006/2114(INI))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its assent of 13 April 2005 to the application by the Republic of Bulgaria to become a

member of the European Union (1),

— having regard to the Treaty of Accession of the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania to the European

Union (2), signed on 25 April 2005 (the Accession Treaty),

(1) OJ C 33 E, 9.2.2006, p. 409.
(2) OJ L 157, 21.6.2005, p. 11.

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— having regard to its many resolutions and reports on Bulgaria since the opening of accession

negotiations,

— having regard to the Commission's regular reports on the state of preparedness of Bulgaria for acces-
sion and, in particular, its Communication of 26 September 2006 entitled ‘Monitoring report on the
state of preparedness for EU membership of Bulgaria and Romania’ (COM(2006)0549),

— 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
(A6-0420/2006),

A. whereas Parliament welcomes the confirmation from the Commission and the Council that Bulgaria is

sufficiently prepared for EU membership on 1 January 2007,

B. whereas Bulgaria applied to join the European Union on 14 December 1995, was formally recognised
as a candidate on 16 July 1997, opened negotiations on 15 February 2000, successfully concluded its
accession negotiations on 14 December 2004, signed the Accession Treaty on 25 April 2005 and has
ratified it, and, with Romania, will complete the historic fifth round of EU enlargement,

C. whereas the direction, speed and rhythm of reform have been consistent and the process of modernisa-
tion should be seen as beneficial in its own right and not merely as a prerequisite to accession to the
EU,

D. whereas Bulgaria's enormous achievement during the transformation process deserves unqualified
respect, principally for the people of Bulgaria who have borne with great patience an unparalleled series
of drastic political and economic measures,

E. whereas, as in many other Member States, it is recognised that the reform process in Bulgaria will
continue for many years after accession but there are areas of specific concern with a possibility of
certain accompanying measures in order to encourage timely action,

F. whereas it is a matter for national governments, through the transitional arrangements in the Accession
Treaty and other powers, to take decisions relating to migration issues such as restrictions on the free-
dom of movement for workers, recognising that this issue has become a matter of concern as a result
of chaotic asylum and immigration policies unrelated to EU enlargement in a number of Member
States,

1.
Congratulates Bulgaria and welcomes its accession on 1 January 2007, looks forward to the arrival in
due course of its 18 Members of the European Parliament as well as its Commissioner and officials in the
EU institutions, and recognises the excellent contribution made by Bulgaria's observers in the European
Parliament since September 2005;

2.
Congratulates the Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement on the very professional and
dedicated manner in which it has conducted its monitoring work, particularly over the past year as progress
towards accession has accelerated, and welcomes its balanced assessments of Bulgaria's preparations;

3. Welcomes the result of the Presidential elections on 29 October 2006; encourages the President to
continue his pro-European course and the necessary reforms this course implies; deplores at the same time
the strong showing of anti-European forces in the election and calls on the President to use his second term
to address the fears of those Bulgarian citizens being critical about Bulgaria's accession to the EU;

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4.
Notes those areas that require further progress, the urgent and continuing need for the delivery of
tangible results, and the various safeguards and other accompanying measures that are available, if necessary,
to address continued shortcomings; calls on the Bulgarian authorities to act with urgency and thoroughness
to obviate or minimise the requirement for such measures, insists on a continuing role for Parliament in
monitoring developments and insists that the Commission continue fully to involve Parliament in monitor-
ing developments and to associate Parliament fully in any consideration of activation of safeguard clauses, as
the President of the Commission agreed to involve Parliament in the case of activation of the safeguard
clause in Article 39 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession concerning the postponement of
accession to 2008;

5.

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

Political criteria

6.
Insists on maximum transparency in every sector, including the handling of privatisation, tendering
and public procurement processes, appointments and promotions in the public service and judiciary, and in
the judicial process at all levels, in order to promote good governance, efficiency and public confidence;

7.
Calls for a strengthening of the role of the Bulgarian Ombudsman in order to correct administrative
mistakes and to act as an anti-corruption mechanism that could increase transparency within institutional
practices;

8.
Applauds the continuing efforts of the Bulgarian authorities to fulfil the commitments made in the
area of justice and home affairs and the steps taken to combat organised crime and corruption and to
complete the reform of the judiciary; expects measures such as more and better training for police investi-
gators with regard to the pre-trial phase, better coordination of the anti-corruption strategy between the
bodies involved and strengthening of the institutional competences of the inspectorates within the public
administration to be implemented vigorously and to produce tangible and visible results, including success-
ful indictments and convictions of those engaged in serious crimes;

9.
Expects urgent and highly focused attention to address the benchmarks specified in the Commission's
latest Monitoring Report in order to avoid any triggering of the safeguard mechanisms; calls for more
effective action to identify, prosecute and confiscate the assets of those engaged in organised crime; and
insists on tangible results in terms of enforcement and prosecution of cases of money laundering;

10. Welcomes the improvements in the organisation and management of the police and security services,
with the implementation of the new Law on the Ministry of the Interior; calls for the expansion of the
specialised police units engaged in the fight against organised crime, corruption — in particular at the
borders —, drugs and people trafficking, and further calls for improvements in salaries and conditions of
service, fast-track promotion for outstanding officers, and provision of state-of-the-art equipment; at the
same time Member States are requested to offer specialised training and further secondment of police offi-
cers with special expertise to the Bulgarian police in order to assist in clearing the backlog of high-profile
crimes and curtailing the activities of crime bosses;

11.
Applauds the changes that have taken place in the prosecution service under the new Prosecutor-
General, including fast-track procedures and steps to prevent the premature closure of investigations; calls
for legal provisions to suspend magistrates who are under internal disciplinary investigation and for serious
action to be taken against prosecutors who have obstructed justice or have closed cases for improper
reasons;

12. Welcomes the decision to provide access to the files of the secret service, a measure that will help
build public confidence and demonstrate a clear break with the past, and recommends that such disclosures
be controlled by a non-partisan and respected commission;

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13.
Reiterates its call for upgrading of living and sanitary conditions in children's homes and homes for
the mentally and physically disabled, recognising that existing projects and priorities do not sufficiently meet
the needs of those in the institutions, and therefore calls for the problems of institutional care to become a
national priority with higher quality and well thought-through de-institutionalisation programmes and cohe-
sion funds targeted at achieving massive and visible improvements in buildings, living conditions and care;
reiterates the call for the promotion of reforms in the legislation regarding adoption practices;

Recognises the many steps that have been taken to integrate the Roma and calls for even greater
14.
concerted efforts to improve their linguistic skills, to give them better access to higher education, vocational
training and employment and to provide them with better healthcare and family planning, whilst encoura-
ging them to do all that they can to adapt to the wider society and to take advantage of opportunities made
available to them;

15.
Calls on the Commission to closely monitor, prior to and after accession, the implementation of
Bulgaria's commitments as regards the protection of minorities, and therefore to include this issue in the
newly established cooperation and verification mechanism after accession;

Economic criteria

Congratulates Bulgaria on its continued economic improvement, which has delivered 6,1 % GDP
16.
growth, higher real wages, falling unemployment (8,7 %) and excellent foreign direct investment; and stresses
the importance of prudent macroeconomic policies and structural reforms in order to maintain stability and
further reduce the trade and current account deficits, and to stimulate growth and employment;

17.
Calls for intensified efforts to improve microeconomic conditions in Bulgaria to encourage the devel-
opment of the private sector and especially of SMEs, based on transparent legal, administrative and regula-
tory structures and more flexible employment laws;

Expresses concern at continuing invisible barriers to foreign investors;

18.
insists that tendering and
regulatory measures be transparent, impartial and easily understood; urges the Bulgarian Government to
address failures to provide timely administrative decisions which may jeopardise the development of a posi-
tive investment climate in Bulgaria; recommends tax incentives to promote inward investment and improved
communication and openness between officials and business;

Acquis communautaire

19.
Congratulates the Bulgarian authorities on bringing close to completion a wide range of complex
activities relating to agriculture; recognises the substantial progress that has been made in relation to the
trade in live animals and animal welfare, where the highest standards must be respected, for example in the
transportation and slaughter of animals and treatment of animal by-products; stresses the importance of the
rendering system being fully operational upon accession and expects this to be the case; calls for finalisation
of the required border inspection posts and vigorous action to control classical swine fever and other animal
diseases, especially where there is any risk to public health or to the safety of food supplies;

20.
Insists that Bulgaria seize the opportunity to introduce the highest standards of airport and aircraft
security, given the nature of the terrorist threat where an attack on one country could be facilitated by
weaknesses in security procedures in another; urges urgent and verifiable completion of all corrective
actions to overcome deficiencies in the airworthiness and maintenance of aircraft, operating procedures
and flight crew licensing;

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21.
Reiterates its calls on the Council and the Commission to ensure that Bulgaria fulfils its commit-
ments under Article 30 of the Accession Treaty regarding the closure date for units 3 and 4 of the Kozloduy
power plant, which has been ratified by the parliaments of the Member States; calls on the EU institutions
to keep their promises regarding the funding of EUR 210 million to Bulgaria for the period 2007 to 2008
for the closure of the Kozloduy power plant;

22.
Stresses the importance of the proper management and control of EU funds, to ensure financial
rectitude and to target them most effectively, applying procedures that are accessible and easily understood
by those outside the bureaucracy;

23.
Points out that where temporary measures could be taken during the first three years after accession,
similar measures were applied following the last accession round, to the benefit of all parties involved;
expresses the wish that such mechanisms be applied only in specific areas; points out that appropriate
measures to ensure the proper functioning of EU policies can be lifted only when the benchmarks, as set
by the Commission, have been fully met;

24.
Congratulates Bulgaria on the contribution it has made to regional and international stability and
security, in particular as a member of NATO, and sees its agreement with the USA for the use of military
facilities as a tangible commitment to the transatlantic alliance;

25.
Expresses continued support for the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor, in custody in Libya
since 1999; insists that the ongoing retrial be brought to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion and that
the Libyan authorities then provide appropriate compensation for the misery that has been inflicted on
these innocent people;

*

*

*

26.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States and the Government and National Assembly of the Republic of
Bulgaria.

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,

(1) OJ L 157, 21.6.2005, p. 11.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0262.