IN a milestone development, the way appears to have opened towards the European Union deciding to evaluate Bulgaria and Romania separately in their efforts to join the EU.
The annual EU report on Bulgaria's progress towards EU accession said that the country had made good progress and was on course to complete negotiations in 2004 with a view to accession in 2007.
Last week, the European parliament decided that Bulgaria's accession process should not necessarily be packaged with that of Romania. EU authorities should complete talks with the two countries based on the respective individual merits of each.
This was spelt out by the EU rapporteur for Bulgaria, Geoffrey van Orden, who said that the country's readiness to become an EU member would be evaluated individually.
Speaking on March 10, Van Orden said the European Commission (EC) should do its best to wrap up the entry talks with Bulgaria before the EC term expires in November 2004.
The EU had paired Bulgaria and Romania for possible simultaneous accession to the EU in 2007, but later warned that Romania was progressing at a slower pace and might be left behind.
Parliament has insisted that "the timing of Bulgaria's accession to the EU should not necessarily be linked to that of any other candidate country".
The Romanian embassy in Sofia declined a request from The Sofia Echo to comment, saying "the time hasn't come for us to comment".
Approving a report on Bulgaria by the European parliament's foreign affairs committee, the European parliament endorsed recommendations that the EC should take a more flexible approach on the decommissioning deadline for units 3 and 4 of the Bulgarian nuclear plant in Kozlodui.
However, last-minute changes to the report prompted the EC to examine the possibility of increased financial compensation for the move, rather than extending the end-2006 decommissioning deadline.
"Bulgaria's EU membership negotiations are proceeding without any major problems and have not lagged behind schedule," said the report, which having been approved now acquires the force of an EP resolution.
Members of the European parliament welcomed in particular constitutional reform as an important catalyst for substantial administrative and judicial reform. The adoption of anti-corruption legislation was seen as a positive step, although more systematic measures against fraud and bribery were deemed necessary, as was more progress in enforcing anti-corruption measures.
Among issues still to be addressed by the Bulgarian authorities are steps against continuation of trafficking in humans, the need for improvement of the legal aid system, abolition of the requirement for EU nationals to have a permanent residence permit if they want to work in Bulgaria, and the 2003 law on religious denominations, which the commission was asked to investigate with regard to its compatibility with international conventions on fundamental freedoms.
The annual EU report on Bulgaria's progress towards EU accession said that the country had made good progress and was on course to complete negotiations in 2004 with a view to accession in 2007.
Last week, the European parliament decided that Bulgaria's accession process should not necessarily be packaged with that of Romania. EU authorities should complete talks with the two countries based on the respective individual merits of each.
This was spelt out by the EU rapporteur for Bulgaria, Geoffrey van Orden, who said that the country's readiness to become an EU member would be evaluated individually.
Speaking on March 10, Van Orden said the European Commission (EC) should do its best to wrap up the entry talks with Bulgaria before the EC term expires in November 2004.
The EU had paired Bulgaria and Romania for possible simultaneous accession to the EU in 2007, but later warned that Romania was progressing at a slower pace and might be left behind.
Parliament has insisted that "the timing of Bulgaria's accession to the EU should not necessarily be linked to that of any other candidate country".
The Romanian embassy in Sofia declined a request from The Sofia Echo to comment, saying "the time hasn't come for us to comment".
Approving a report on Bulgaria by the European parliament's foreign affairs committee, the European parliament endorsed recommendations that the EC should take a more flexible approach on the decommissioning deadline for units 3 and 4 of the Bulgarian nuclear plant in Kozlodui.
However, last-minute changes to the report prompted the EC to examine the possibility of increased financial compensation for the move, rather than extending the end-2006 decommissioning deadline.
"Bulgaria's EU membership negotiations are proceeding without any major problems and have not lagged behind schedule," said the report, which having been approved now acquires the force of an EP resolution.
Members of the European parliament welcomed in particular constitutional reform as an important catalyst for substantial administrative and judicial reform. The adoption of anti-corruption legislation was seen as a positive step, although more systematic measures against fraud and bribery were deemed necessary, as was more progress in enforcing anti-corruption measures.
Among issues still to be addressed by the Bulgarian authorities are steps against continuation of trafficking in humans, the need for improvement of the legal aid system, abolition of the requirement for EU nationals to have a permanent residence permit if they want to work in Bulgaria, and the 2003 law on religious denominations, which the commission was asked to investigate with regard to its compatibility with international conventions on fundamental freedoms.
