EU Approves Bulgaria and Romania For 2007 Membership
The European Union voted today to admit Bulgaria and Romania in 2007.
EU approves 2007 entry of Bulgaria, Romania (CBC)
The European Union parliament on Wednesday approved the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the 25-nation bloc in 2007. Legislators voted 522-70 in favour of Bulgaria’s entry, with 69 abstentions, and 497-93 in favour of Romania’s application, with 71 abstentions.
EU officials said both countries must make reforms before their final acceptance, inserting “super safeguard clauses” in their entry treaties. The clauses could trigger a one-year delay in their entry if certain conditions aren’t met.
Interesting. The integration of the former Eastern Block–or “New Europe” if you will–into the European mainstream is moving quite rapidly, at least when one considers the chasm that once separated them.
Excellent. The more members the EU has the less power France and Germany have.
Germany has pushed for taking in as many Eastern European countries as possible ever since the Soviet Union stopped existing, so power is not an issue (especially since the EU really is no more powerful than the UN when it comes down to that).
Anyway, Croatia and some other former Yugoslav republics are going to be next. The Ukraine should be eligible from 2012 on, while Turkey may have lost any chance of ever joining up by their recent behavior (a general lack of progress as far as civil and human rights are concerned, and the brutalization of peaceful female demonstrators on the recent World Womens’ Day, obviously approved of by the government).
If Turkey joins or not, the EU will continue to take in more new members than it can easily integrate, so there is no way it can ever become a superstate. Attmepts at further integration are also going to be futile for the same reason, we can either expand or intergrate, but not both.
To clarify: With ‘further integration’ I’m referring to moves toward an ‘ever closer union’, as opposed to the integration of new members into the EU.