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.
Publicat de
:
---
Data publicării: 05 Dec 2005 - 06:30
| |
|