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Progress in Romania and Bulgaria inadequate, says government

Newsflash | 28 August 2009

The new EU member states Romania and Bulgaria are still doing too little to tackle corruption and organised crime, and their management of EU funds is still below par. The government will continue to press for improvements in both countries at European level. If this does not happen, it will have consequences for the transfer of EU funds to the two countries and their accession to the Schengen area.

S hortcomings

The letter that European affairs minister Frans Timmermans, foreign minister Maxime Verhagen and justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin sent to the House of Representatives today identifies many shortcomings, including ‘the lack of political will to implement irreversible reforms’.

In September, at the request of the European Parliament, the European Commission will present a report focusing entirely on management of EU funds. Payments to Bulgaria were previously suspended owing to inadequate management. If it is found that this is still the case, the Netherlands will call for further measures. The government was already calling for measures in May, in a letter that Mr Timmermans sent to EU Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot.

Progress first

The government believes it is essential for both countries to make genuine progress to avoid damaging the EU’s credibility. It also feels that they are not doing enough to enable their inhabitants to benefit fully from the opportunities offered by EU membership.

At the insistence of the Netherlands and other countries, the C ooperation and Verification Mechanism was agreed as a precondition for Romania and Bulgaria’s membership of the EU. The Netherlands takes the view that the CVM should remain in force for the time being, as it allows other member states and the European Commission to closely monitor progress and keep the required reforms on the political agenda.

Accession to the Schengen area would mean the disappearance of controls at the countries’ internal borders. The government believes that this should not happen until sufficient trust exists among the Schengen partners. Romania and Bulgaria still suffer from large-scale corruption, including in the police force, whereas impeccable credentials are required in tackling trafficking in persons and illegal immigration.

I mprovements

The European Commission has identified 21 ar eas for improvement for Bulgaria and 16 for Romania. The Netherlands fully supports the Commission in this respect.

The governme nt will convey its concerns to the Romanian foreign minister Christian Dianescu during his visit to the Netherlands on 3 September. It will also inform the Bulgarian ambassador of its conclusions.