Prime Minister Shortened Our Way to the EU - For France We Are in the EU

For Romania, 2007 is almost an obsession. It is the year in which the integration in the EU is compulsory. As far as France’s Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, is concerned "2007 is now", and Romania is as well as integrated. He stated this with the occasion of his two days official visit in Romania, visit which began on Sunday.

Even from the his arrival in the Romanian capital, Jean-Pierre Raffarin shortened Romania’s way to the EU stating that "France is supporting Romania in the adherence process", according to the La Figaro French daily journal correspondent in Bucharest. "For us, Romania is already in the EU. We are already in 2007", exclaimed the French Prime Minister. Few moments later, during a meeting with the French community in Romania representatives, who were invited to the France embassy in Bucharest, Raffarin was standing out his enthusiasm. "The French don’t have to be afraid of Romania’s integration in the EU. I remember the suspicions that have been expressed when Spain’s or Portugal’s adherence was in discussion. What happened in the end? Our companies took part in these countries’ development", said Raffarin in front of the French audience.

THE DELEGATION

Jean-Pierre Raffarin came to Bucharest for a visit concerning the bilateral cooperation, in the prospect of our EU adherence in 2007. He came together with his wife, Anne-Marie, but also with six ministers, among which Gilles de Robien (Transports), Francois Loos (External Commerce) and Xavier Darcos (Cooperation). Raffarin’s delegation came to Bucharest in order to discuss about practical, linked to business stuff but also about immigration and Romanian children adoption by foreign citizens, in a time when hundreds of files - from which 50 connected to French adoptive parents - are blocked by the moratorium regarding international adoptions valid from 2001. In this context, the French agency AFP reminds that, due to Bruxelles putting pressure upon Romania, our country voted in June an extremely restrictive legislation, which is to be valid from 2005 and which makes the adoptions made by foreign citizens impossible. Raffarin’s visit comes in a delicate political moment, with only a month before the legislative and presidential elections, which seem to be open to any result, comments AFP.

PREMIERE

Invited by the Romanian Prime Minister, Adrian Nastase, yesterday, together with him, Raffarin took part in the opening of the first French-Romanian intergovernmental seminary, a meeting format specific to France’s privileged partners, like Russia, Italy or Great Britain. With the occasion of this first seminary, the French Government proposed itself to fasten its help for modernizing the Romanian administration, one of the conditions for Romania’s integration in the EU. France, AFP reminds, has been a permanent supporter of our country’s adherence in the EU.

OPPORTUNITIES

For the French Prime Minister, union’s extension is first time an increase of the buying power in the hinted countries so, new opportunities for the French companies. Since his visit in Romania, Raffarin waits for a development of the contacts to allow France - which now is only the fourth partner of Bucharest, after Germany, Italy and Russia - to recover this handicap, comments Le Figaro.

ROMANIAN-FRENCH SEMINARY

Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and his French counterpart, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, took part yesterday in the "A Partnership for Europe" seminary, where some projects destined to the public function, de-centralisation and specialization of the prefect corporation, organized crime fighting reform and to the justice reform were discussed about. Nastase expressed his hope that Romania will receive on the 17th of December this year the political endorsement for the signing of the adherence treaty in 2005. In his turn, Jean-Pierre Raffarin re-confirmed France’s support for Romania’s integration in the EU, emphasizing the favourable report of the European Commission regarding our country. The French Prime Minister also met the presidents of the Parliamentary Chambers, the leaders of the Justice and Truth Alliance and visited the Senate headquarters. (Silviu Sergiu)

THE FRENCH HIGH-SCHOOL

The French Prime minister announced on Sunday night that in Bucharest a new high-school will be built, which is to be initiated in 2006. During the meeting with the French community in Romania representatives, he stated that Paris will give 2 million euros for this building, and that the Romanian authorities made available a two hectares location in Bucharest, because "the present high-school, Anna de Noailles, is too small for the existing needs".

ADOPTION COMMITTEE

Romania and France will set a mechanism, at international experts’ level, to analyse the external adoption cases that are in high finalizing stages, before the respective Moratorium’s imposing. "I proposed Prime Minister Adrian Nastase the initiation of an international committee, which could examine the multiple cases, without anyone being able to contest these facts and which will take decisions based on an impartial judgement", stated yesterday the French Prime Minister. Nastase accepted his proposition showing that "the EU involvement is important since Romania doesn’t want to let her European partners think that it is ready to re-open, without finalizing the secondary legislation, the international adoptions procedure". (S.S.)

DECORATED BY PRESIDENT ION ILIESCU

President Ion Iliescu decorated yesterday the French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin with the Romania’s Star National Order in the High Cross grade. "For Romania, France has always been a sister or brother country", stated with this occasion President Iliescu, stating that "country" is a noun having feminine gender in Romanian and masculine gender in French.