The European Parliament voiced its support to Bulgaria’s entry into the European Union as scheduled on January 1, 2007.
Bulgaria will join the Block as planned provided that it executes all reforms in the key areas.
The MEPs approved with majority the report on Bulgaria’s progress prepared by Geoffrey van Orden, rapporteur for Bulgaria in the European Parliament and urged Bulgaria’s authorities to show “greater determination” in the problem areas and to show “in a more specific way” real actions ahead of April 2006.
As for Bulgaria’s only nuclear power plant in Kozlodyu the MEPs rejected the suggestion of the rapporteur for a more flexible approach, voicing their hopes that Bulgaria will execute its tasks. The members of the European Parliament urged once again “the Council and the Commission to do everything necessary so that Bulgaria would fulfill its tasks from the accession treaty for the closure of Units 3 and 4 of the Kozloduy nuke.”
During the session the MEPs confirmed their support to Bulgaria over the case with the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya.
“Bulgaria is very close, or in many ways so close to meet the EU criteria for membership, as almost each of the new members have been at that stage of their accession process”, the MEPs agreed. Despite that they once again recalled that the safeguard clause might be activated in the spring of 2006.
The European Parliament called Bulgaria’s government to speed up measures in its fight against organized crime and corruption.
According to the MEPs Bulgaria is still heading in the right direction and is executing the right policy to achieve its goal – join the EU on January 1, 2007.