Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, President in office of the Council of the EU, had talks in Sofia with the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev on Thursday in the margins of the meeting of foreign ministers of the EU and NATO countries.
Plassnik expressed her conviction that Bulgaria’s accession to the Union would bring great advantages. In the National Council, which voted the Accession Treaty with Bulgaria and Romania by a large majority, she stressed that these countries' EU accession would mean more security, greater export opportunities and more jobs for Austrians. “Only with the accession of Bulgaria and Romania will the last enlargement round be concluded. Europe’s reunification process is incomplete without south-east Europe.”
"If Bulgaria wants to join the European Union on 1 January 2007, the remaining time must be used as productively as possible. In particular, it needs to make further efforts in the fight against organised crime and corruption and in reform of the justice system."
It was clear, she said, that Bulgaria was working hard to implement the necessary reforms. On 16 May the European Commission will present its report on the state of the preparations for membership in Bulgaria. There must be no let-up in the reform efforts. In particular, everything possible must be done to tackle successfully the remaining problems in Bulgaria.
“EU citizens expect countries joining the Union to be ready for membership. The reform process does not suddenly end with accession“, she concluded.
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