Friday 29th of March 2024, 10:56 CET
EU: more aid for Bulgaria and Romania
November 13, 2002
Associated Press

Posted by HW on March 29, 2024

The European Union head office wants to offer candidate countries Romania and Bulgaria more financial aid Wednesday to ready the two east European nations for membership by 2007.

20-40 percent
In its new proposal, the European Commission is prepared to offer an additional 20 to 40 percent in aid for the two countries over the next four years. The Commission project will have to be approved by EU leaders at their Dec. 12-13 summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Romania currently receives 630 million euros (US$) in aid annually, while Bulgaria gets around 360 million euros (US$) a year.

Speed up for membership
The EU head office said its proposal will "indicate in detail the main steps that they need to take to be ready for membership."

The new guidelines suggest in particular that both Bulgaria and Romania speed up their judicial and political administrative reforms, so that they meet EU standards before joining. They also emphasize the two countries should step up economic reform.

Next round
Romania and Bulgaria will not be in the first expansion phase, which is set to see eight eastern European countries and the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta join in 2004.

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia and the two others are expected to complete their entry talks at the Copenhagen summit.

2007
The EU had long decided that Bulgaria and Romania would not be ready to join with the other 10 and recognition of the 2007 target date at an EU summit in Brussels last month was seen as a boost to their efforts to form the next wave of EU expansion.

The 15 EU leaders said however that Romania and Bulgaria's eventual entry into the club was part of an "irreversible" expansion program.
 
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