The latest report of the European Commission recommends Romaniaâs adherence to the European Union on the 1st of January 2007. Romaniaâs and Bulgariaâs adherence doesnât mean the end of the monitoring for the two countries, which will be done in accordance to a sui generic "cooperation and examination" mechanism. All the countries in the EU are monitored. In the cases of Romania and Bulgaria, the monitoring instruments take into account the malfunctioning of justice, of the mechanism for the absorption of the structural funds (especially in agriculture), of the mechanism for the regulation of the agricultural food productsâ quality. We donât have to feel offended by these additional monitoring instruments, because we should surmount the mentioned insufficiencies as soon as possible.
The occidental press mentioned the approval of the adherence on the 1st of January 2007. Some voices didnât hesitate reminding the two countries are yet to go through with all the adherence criteria, that it was wrong to mention a date for the adherence. However, several countries of the ten that adhered in May 2004 had been in similar situations. It is true that Romania and Bulgaria will be two of the poorest countries in the Union, with imported rural economies, with precarious infrastructure, with institutions in need of important consolidation and purification. The academic discussions about the opportunity of the 2007 moment will continue. At present, the important thing for Romania and Bulgaria is to gain as much as they can from this adherence. Moreover, they should represent a "value added" to the debates regarding the problems of the European Union, even if the contribution is made of questions and dilemmas, but not clear and final solutions.