Words become reality” “

After paying tribute to John Paul II in its opening session, the European Parliament, gathered in plenary assembly at Strasbourg from 11 to 14 April, has given its approval to the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the Union, inviting the two countries to proceed along the road of reforms. The issues on the agenda also included development policy and the Millennium Objectives fixed by the UNO to eradicate poverty in the Third World, the budget for 2006 and the international political situation. JOHN PAUL II: A “GREAT EUROPEAN”. The meeting of the European Parliament was opened by President JOSEP BORRELL, with an official commemoration of John Paul II, followed by a minute’s silence. The pope was also remembered during the mass celebrated in the “room of meditations” on Wednesday 13 April, in collaboration with the archdiocese of Strasbourg. According to Borrell, the pontiff “leaves behind him a great legacy to humanity with his message of peace, love and freedom”, which had “an enormous influence on the fall of the Communist system” in Poland and in other countries of Eastern Europe. MEPs followed the words of the president with absolute silence. Borrell recalled that, during his visit to the EP in 1988, the pope had affirmed that “Europe needs to breathe with both lungs. Those words have now become a reality” and the European Union is proceeding towards “the unity we all need”. He concluded by declaring that John Paul II “was a great European”, who had left behind him “a legacy of dialogue, entente and reconciliation between the religions, and also between believers and non-believers”. A EU delegation, headed by Borrell himself, the Polish vice-president of the EP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Durao Barroso, attended the pope’s funeral in Rome. BULGARIA AND ROMANIA TO ENTER THE EU IN 2007. During its session, the Parliament of the Twenty-Five also voted in favour of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU: bar unexpected hitches, both countries should enter the EU on 1st January 2007. The Union will thus reach a total of 27 member states, with a population of almost half a billion citizens. “Over the last five years various governments that have succeeded each other in Bulgaria have promoted political, economic and social reforms in preparation for EU membership”. For this reason, the EU was invited to vote in favour of the report presented by the English MEP GEOFFREY VAN ORDEN, who explained that the signing of the membership Treaty does not mean the end of the modernization process”. The many problems still to be solved by Sofia include “judicial reforms and those linked to the police forces in their crack down on corruption and organized crime”, and “the protection of gipsy communities which, in turn, must show their willingness to cooperate” with the country’s authorities. The rapporteur for Romania, the French MEP PIERRE MOSCOVICI, also described the progress made by Bucharest: “This country – he explained – has made many efforts and is on the right track”. On the other hand, “there are still various problems that need to be tackled: the crack down on corruption and organized crime, the control of the frontiers, and the recognition of Romany and Hungarian minorities”. Reforms, too, are still needed to modernize the State administration, develop a competitive market economy, protect the environment and secure freedom of information. At the end of the debate, MEPs voted: 522 voted in favour of the accession of Bulgaria (70 against and 69 abstained) and 497 in favour of Romania (93 against and 71 abstained). The option of delaying membership for a year, “if the two candidate countries fail to abide by the agreed reforms”, was however confirmed (the so-called safeguard clauses). ARMS TO CHINA: MAINTAINING THE EMBARGO. Among several foreign policy issues, the EP discussed EU commitment to the reduction of the debt of the poor countries, so as to release energies to combat hunger and disease, support education and promote the rights of the populations. The EP also re-affirmed its opposition to the repeal of the embargo on arms sales to China and called for a reinforcement of the peace process in Lebanon. On the margins of the main debates in the chamber, discussion was also devoted to the promotion of fair and equitable trade. Though pushed into second place by issues of greater political importance, the financial report drafted by the Lithuanian MEP ONA JUKNEVICIENE, reviewing the role of the seat of the EP itself, generated some heated discussion in Strasbourg: in the logic of “rationalization of costs”, many MEPs would like the Parliament to be sited at Brussels, thus eliminating expensive transfers of parliamentarians, assistants, ancillary staff and EU administrators.