Accession in Suspense [1]

By Ioana LupeaSunday, 04 December 2005 Romania’s accession also depends on the issues EU member states confront with “The fact that France did not immediately ratify Romania’s EU accession treaty was a sign of reticence and doubt”, said Pierre Moscovici, European Parliament observer for Romania

. Not towards your country, Moscovici explained, but, even more serious, toward the EU. A fact that will only burden our mission to comply with the accession criteria: the greater the euro skepticism, the sterner the assessment. Romania and Bulgaria, as well as all other 10 states in the first wave, have been the full beneficiaries of the enthusiasm generated by the European political project. This is no longer the case, and the contagious euro skepticism inside the EU might cost us the postponement of the accession. Traian Basescu, during talks with French president Jacques Chirac, was assured that France’s internal problems would not affect the vote on EU enlargement including Romania and Bulgaria. The guarantees of the French president are not enough, since Moscovici, a member of the French Socialist opposition party, a past supporter of the enlarged European construction, is so skeptical. The atmosphere described by Moscovici exists even within his party, where, during the congress of two weeks ago, voices raised to question the European idea, and a party whose members have elected a “no” propaganda man as secretary general.   France and Germany’s dodging of the EU accession treaty ratification as well as the reserves sent by diplomatic ways from Sweden are a red signal for the other EU states, which might wait until after the monitoring report is presented in May or even after that. Even if the recommendation of the Committee will be to support Romania’s accession on time, the postponement of the ratification also includes pushing Romania’s accession date to the unknown. Further more, EU will begin 2006 without a budget for 2007-2013 that is after our country’s possible accession. A French “oui”, the approval of a country that has voted against the Constitutional treaty by referendum would weigh hard in the economy of the accession process. But the parties do not dare to open such debates around the general elections of 2007, when the internal political agenda is monopolized by the failure of the social and integration model, questioned by the outskirts’ insurrection. The violence of the revolts – a method of communication for the voiceless outcasts – has brought a ruthless mirror before the French. The paradoxes hidden under the carpet until present are now coming to daylight. These last days, while PM  de Villepin said that equality of chances would be the national cause in 2006, a mayor has been sentenced to pay a Euro 1,500 fine and three years of non-eligibility for having prevented a French couple of Algerian and Moroccan origins to buy a home in the town he had been administering. The initiation of a debate regarding EU enlargement in a country with economic and discrimination problems, with resentments regarding the accession of Turkey, a potential labor force exporter in the years to come, is considered risky for the political class. Its endless delay is though unjust for Romania.
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Data publicării: 05 Dec 2005 - 06:30
 

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