The European Commission's green light to Romania and Bulgaria to join the European Union in January is very welcome and will usher in yet another enlargement wave, although a minor one.

Although there have been obstacles in these two countries' accession process - they were originally part of the Helsinki group of candidates (along with Malta and three others) - it seemed quite evident that a consensus existed among EU member states that these two countries should join the bloc on January 1, 2007, even though there was the option of having them join a year after that.

This was made clear to me a month ago by Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen when I interviewed him during his visit to Malta. He simply told me: "The next enlargement will take place on January 1, 2007, with Bulgaria and Romania", and this was a month before the Commission issued its recommendation.

Bulgaria and Romania were always the most problematic of the former Eastern bloc candidates as they lagged behind in both economic and other reforms, notably the criminal justice system and tackling corruption. The Commission report also pointed out Bulgaria's lack of preparedness to administer EU funds. I remember the need for reform of the criminal justice system and tackling corruption being constantly mentioned during a trip to Bulgaria last year when I participated in a seminar on the country's EU accession process.

The European Commission has recommended very strict conditions for these two countries' entry into the EU as well as a strict monitoring process to ensure that Bucharest and Sofia stick to their promises. If the new entrants fail to abide by their entry requirements they could face possible sanctions including the suspension of millions of euros in aid payments.

European Commission president José Manuel Barroso called the addition of Romania and Bulgaria "a historic achievement" while Sergei Stanishev, Bulgaria's Prime Minister remarked: "This is the genuine and final fall of the Berlin Wall for Bulgaria."

In fact, 'historic' is the exact word to describe the addition of these two countries to the EU. Bulgaria and Romania were always the most Stalinist and backward of the Communist bloc countries. Bulgaria was the most loyal Soviet satellite state while Romania was ruled by the most ruthless Stalinist dictator, Nicolae Ceaucescu. Both countries are already in Nato, but their admission to the EU really puts them firmly within the family of democratic European nations.

It is true that Bulgaria and Romania are the least prepared of the recent entrants, but while the EU has kept its promise to admit them, it has made it clear that there will be consequences should the new members not adhere to their accession package, and most important of all, the wider picture is that enlargement is a win-win situation.

All enlargement waves have been an outstanding success: they have brought about stability, economic growth, a consolidation of democracy, and increased investment, trade and job creation. Enlargement has been good for both old and new member states. I have no doubt that this will be the case with Bulgaria and Romania's accession.

It has become evident, however, there Europe is suffering somewhat from "enlargement fatigue" and this is evident in opinion polls among EU citizens. Enlargement has put some strain on the EU institutional framework and among some of the old member states there are certain populist sentiments against labour mobility from the new member states as well as concerns over the costs of enlargement. The French and Dutch rejection of the proposed European constitutional treaty was partly due to concerns over enlargement and possible future enlargement.

It is not surprising, therefore, that Mr Barroso said that the admission of Romania and Bulgaria would be a good time to take a pause on further enlargement and concentrate on reforming EU institutions by forging a consensus over the future of the EU's Constitution. The treaty, after all, was drafted precisely to make the Union more manageable as a result of enlargement.

Mr Barroso is right, of course: now is a good time for a pause and a reflection. No further enlargement would be appropriate until the EU agrees on a new treaty. However, it is important that the right signal is given to other candidates and aspiring candidates that further enlargements will place at the proper time.

Croatia and Turkey, both suitable candidates, have already started their accession negotiations. Even though these two countries will not join for some time they must be told that this 'pause for reflection' is just that and not an end to enlargement.

Of course, there are other countries which aspire to join the EU, such as Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia and Ukraine. These are all European countries which have every right to join the EU if they adhere to the required economic and political criteria. They must be encouraged to move closer to the EU and told that although membership is still a very long way off, the door will never be shut for them.

In the meantime, the EU should sort out its constitutional crisis, adopt a new simplified treaty and explain the benefits of enlargement - past, present and future - to its citizens, which hopefully will pave the way for the further eventual enlargement waves.


British Prime Minister Tony Blair's brilliant speech at last week's Labour Party conference in Manchester - his last as Prime Minister and party leader - makes me wonder whether the Labour Party fully realises the implications of forcing him to step down so early into his third term in office. He will certainly be a very hard act to follow.

Former US President Bill Clinton also gave an excellent speech at the same party conference. The Americans - and the international community - were fortunate to have had such a great leader between 1993 and 2000.

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