Specifications - Adherence Involved in the Electoral Campaign

Romania’s chief negotiator with the EU, Minister Vasile Puscas and External Affairs Minister, Mircea Geoana, specify that programming the adherence conference on the 23rd of November has no connection with the electoral campaign.

Vasile Puscas stated yesterday that this conference will be part of the technical steps for finalizing the negotiations with the EU. Romania wants to end the adherence negotiations with the EU at the European Council on the 17th of December, the date until the technical steps have to be finished, reads a statement of Puscas. Programming the adherence conference has been made many months ago, has no connection with the electoral campaign, and "it is only a technical step in the negotiation process", said the chief-negotiator. "During the adherence conference decisions regarding certain chapters can be proposed, depending on negotiation files’ processing, which is to be made by the European Commission and by the EU Council, and on the member states’ decisions", says Puscas.

TECHNICAL SCHEDULE

Mircea Geoana, Minister of External Affairs, also stated that 24 November is just a date out of a technical schedule regarding the conclusion of the negotiations with the EU, and this schedule has no importance if we take into consideration the fact the European Council is programmed on the 17th of December, and that is what will end the negotiations between the EU and Romania and Bulgaria. "I would like to remind the people in Romania who have narrow political interest that the European Council set the conclusion date of the adherence negotiations with Romania and Bulgaria for the end of 2004 since December 2002 and if there is someone thinking that closing the negotiations with Romania in 2004 has an electoral meaning, then this person doesn’t know the meaning of Romanian national interest", stated the Minister of External Affairs. Geoana also said that he is not willing to postpone the conclusion of the negotiations for 2005 and to enter this way a discrepancy with Bulgaria and a possible join with Croatia or even with Turkey, "just because one or two political forces in Romania get to tremble at the thought that we do our duty for this country".