Premier Adrian Nastase considers that the European Commissioner for Enlargement Gunther Verheugen presented the differences between Romania and the applicant countries when he said that Romania and Bulgaria would certainly not join the EU in 2004.
Adrian Nastase last weekend said that Gunther Verheugen in his statement on EU enlargement presented the obvious economic and social gaps between Romania and the other applicant countries.
The Chief of the Executive added that the members of the European Commission, whose mandate ends in 2004, have to examine which applicant countries may conclude the accession negotiations by then, receiving the ratification of the Accession Treaty from the Parliaments of the EU member countries.
"Verheugen says it is difficult for Romania and Bulgaria to conclude negotiations by 2002, as Romania will open negotiations for all chapters next year. The question now is how the actual European Commission will act," Nastase said.
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Gunther Verheugen on Friday said that Romania and Bulgaria would definitely not be included in the next wave of EU enlargement, in 2004.
Verheugen made this statement as a reply to certain inquiries regarding the recent statements of the French Foreign Affairs minister Hubert Vedrine, who spoke about the inconvenience of eliminating Romania and Bulgaria from the next enlargement wave, as the report of the European Commission suggests.
