Romania and Bulgaria join EU

TEST 2

AM - Wednesday, 27 September, 2006 08:16:00

Reporter: Stephanie Kennedy

TONY EASTLEY: During his time at Number 10 Downing Street, Tony Blair has seen and supported a radical expansion of the EU.

Romania and Bulgaria will officially join the European Union early next year, 12 months ahead of schedule.

The EU has agreed to admit the two Eastern European countries to its exclusive club, but under strict conditions.

But enlarging the EU could pose big problems for Britain and its new Prime Minister.

Since the last expansion two years ago, there's been an influx of half a million immigrants into the UK.

Stephanie Kennedy reports from London.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: In 2004, the European Union allowed 10 countries to join, but Romania and Bulgaria missed out on the big eastward expansion.

Now their time has come.

The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, said both countries had made enough progress to join the union a year ahead of schedule.

JOSE MANUEL BARROSO: Bulgaria's and Romania's accession to the European Union is an historic achievement. It makes our union safer and stronger.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: But there are strings attached for Bulgaria and Romania, stricter than those imposed on previous new members. Both nations have been told to beef up their fight against corruption, and they must ensure there's a proper system in place to pay EU grants to farmers.

Katynka Barysch is from the Centre of European Reforms.

KATYNKA BARYSCH: What has to be the yardstick here is not some absolute measure of whether a country's squeaky clean or not, but can it be a reliable and effective member of the European club?

And that remains to be seen, and that's why we have this strict monitoring regime and these tough conditions and these sanctions hanging over these countries, where the EU says look, you have to sort out your problems of corruption, because as soon as we sense that this affects t he functioning of the EU decision-making, or the internal market, or the way we handle our EU budget, then we will clamp down and we'll make sure that you make better progress.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: The big question now is whether to allow workers from Romania and Bulgaria immediate or gradual access to the European Union's job market.

Britain had an open-door policy after the last EU expansion, but that led to a flood of skilled workers - 500,000 in two years.

This time the UK is warning that it's likely to put a cap on immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania.

That's angered the Romanian Prime Minister, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

CALIN POPESCU-TARICEANU: I'm expecting from the British authorities to apply an equal treatment for Romania as for the other new member states who have joined the EU in 2004, because this is a basic principle, so the freedom of the workforc e throughout the EU, it's a basic principle which is stated in the treaty. I don't see any reason to impose restrictions.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: And Lachezar Matev, the Bulgarian Ambassador to the UK, doesn't think there will be a mass exodus from his country.

LACHEZAR MATEV: Final surveys made by independent agencies in Bulgaria show that not more than 12,000 Bulgarians will rush to Europe for the next five years, and UK's not the favoured destination, only the sixth one. Around 3,000 Bulgarians will try to establish themselves in the UK for the next two years.

This is Stephanie Kennedy reporting for AM.

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