Intricate Ratifications - Eight More Steps to Europe

The report on the 16th of May has passed, but did not bring any good news. If the nine states that are still to ratify the Treaty for the Adherence to the European Union wait for October to do it, the adherence in 2007 could get stuck in the procedures. The unanimous ratification of the Adherence Treaty for Romania and Bulgaria before the decisive report of the European Commission in the autumn could represent a vote of confidence and support, but would also force Brussels to give up on the one-year postponement. This scenario seems favorable for Romania and Bulgaria but it also describes the very delicate current situation, with eight more states that are still to ratify the Treaty: Holland, France, Germany, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg and Belgium.

The higher and higher skepticism of the Europeans towards the extension of the European Union was shown in the case of the ratification of the European Constitution. Now, France, Holland, and Germany show their disagreement and discontent towards the adherence of the two states in the Balkans as well. Even though by signing the Adherence Treaty they agreed to ratify it, the three look the other way when they are asked diplomatically and desperately by Bucharest and Sofia to do it or when the European Executive asks them to quicken the procedures regarding this matter. In November, President Traian Basescu went to France on an official visit and talked to his counterpart, Jacques Chirac, and with the representatives of the two Chambers of the Parliament, but he didn’t manage to convince them to ratify the Treaty quicker. Basescu will try again to convince these countries to ratify the treaty in June. There is some lobby that still has to be done in France, and the work is half-done in Holland. The Inferior Chamber of the Parliament approved the Adherence Treaty.

GERMANY. In an interview for Deutsche Welle, Markus Meckel said he really thought things would go according to their initial course: "The both Governments, the Romanian and Bulgarian one, have to consider the recommendations of the European Commission and make all the efforts to go on with the adherence. The German Bundestag has now to consider yesterday’s report, but I don’t think we should wait for the recommendation of the Commission in the autumn. However, it is quite clear that the ratification will end only after the final decision of the European Commission", Meckel explained.