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BULGARIA WINS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVAL
The European Parliament approved Wednesday the admission of Bulgaria to the European Union, paving the way for the signature of EU accession treaty later this month. The 732-seat parliament, which has the right to impose a veto on the accession treaties, voted 522-70 for supporting the accession of Bulgaria in 2007. Another 69 MEPs abstained. Earlier in the day the European Parliament voted down the proposal of the European People's Party group to delay the vote on Bulgaria and Romania's accession treaties.
A total of 497 MEPs voted against the proposal, 144 backed it, while 18 MEPs abstained. Hans-Gert Poettering, MEP, Chairman of the European People's Party and European Democrats group in the European Parliament, said the Council of Ministers, which groups together EU governments, should review again details about the allocation of EUR 43.3 B of financial aid. The European People's Party group wanted the vote to be scheduled no earlier than the next plenary session on April 27-28 in Brussels.
Bulgaria's Euro-Affairs Minister Meglena Kuneva attended also the European Parliament voting session. It is also participated by the Geoffrey van Orden, a rapporteur for Bulgaria and Pierre Moscovici, the European Parliament's rapporteur for Romania. The MEPs heard Tuesday the report of Van Orden, a rapporteur for Bulgaria, with one of main accents put on Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear plant. He urged his colleagues to appreciate the efforts of Bulgaria to secure the safety of the nuclear facility and show more flexibility when deciding on the country's fate.
Van Orden stated he was encouraged by the decision of Bulgarian government to renew the counstruction of its second nuclear facility at Belene. The MEP did not skip the issue of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya saying he hoped for their release soon, while confirming the EP support for the AIDS-stricken children. In conclusion, Geoffrey van Orden advised Sofia to mobilize all resources available and show political good will to complete the ongoing reforms, especially in the national systems of judiciary and police.
Romania and Bulgaria's target date for EU entry is January 1 2007, but Brussels has repeatedly stressed that accession will be delayed by a year if both countries cannot prove that reforms promised during negotiations are up to scratch. On March 30, MEPs in the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee gave their backing to Bucharest and Sofia's accession in 2007. But they also called for the right to stay "involved fully in the ongoing process" until the two countries actually join the EU, in particular in any decisions on postponing accession.
Novinite.com (13 April 2005)
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