Romania and Bulgaria join EU

AM - Wednesday, 27 September, 2006 08:16:00

Reporter: Stephanie Kennedy

TONY EASTLEY: During his time at Number 10 Downing Street, Tony Blair has seen and supported a radical expansion of the EU.

Romania and Bulgaria will officially join the European Union early next year, 12 months ahead of schedule.

The EU has agreed to admit the two Eastern European countries to its exclusive club, but under strict conditions.

But enlarging the EU could pose big problems for Britain and its new Prime Minister.

Since the last expansion two years ago, there's been an influx of half a million immigrants into the UK.

Stephanie Kennedy reports from London.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: In 2004, the European Union allowed 10 countries to join, but Romania and Bulgaria missed out on the big eastward expansion.

Now their time has come.

The European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, said both countries had made enough progress to join the union a year ahead of schedule.

JOSE MANUEL BARROSO: Bulgaria's and Romania's accession to the European Union is an historic achievement. It makes our union safer and stronger.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: But there are strings attached for Bulgaria and Romania, stricter than those imposed on previous new members. Both nations have been told to beef up their fight against corruption, and they must ensure there's a proper system in place to pay EU grants to farmers.

Katynka Barysch is from the Centre of European Reforms.

KATYNKA BARYSCH: What has to be the yardstick here is not some absolute measure of whether a country's squeaky clean or not, but can it be a reliable and effective member of the European club?

And that remains to be seen, and that's why we have this strict monitoring regime and these tough conditions and these sanctions hanging over these countries, where the EU says look, you have to sort out your problems of corruption, because as soon as we sense that this affects t he functioning of the EU decision-making, or the internal market, or the way we handle our EU budget, then we will clamp down and we'll make sure that you make better progress.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: The big question now is whether to allow workers from Romania and Bulgaria immediate or gradual access to the European Union's job market.

Britain had an open-door policy after the last EU expansion, but that led to a flood of skilled workers - 500,000 in two years.

This time the UK is warning that it's likely to put a cap on immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania.

That's angered the Romanian Prime Minister, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

CALIN POPESCU-TARICEANU: I'm expecting from the British authorities to apply an equal treatment for Romania as for the other new member states who have joined the EU in 2004, because this is a basic principle, so the freedom of the workforc e throughout the EU, it's a basic principle which is stated in the treaty. I don't see any reason to impose restrictions.

STEPHANIE KENNEDY: And Lachezar Matev, the Bulgarian Ambassador to the UK, doesn't think there will be a mass exodus from his country.

LACHEZAR MATEV: Final surveys made by independent agencies in Bulgaria show that not more than 12,000 Bulgarians will rush to Europe for the next five years, and UK 's not the favoured destination, only the sixth one. Around 3,000 Bulgarians will try to establish themselves in the UK for the next two years.

This is Stephanie Kennedy reporting for AM.

 

 

TEST 3

International intervention needed in Pakistan: experts

AM - Monday, 31 December, 2007 08:04:00

Reporter: Jane Hutcheon

ELEANOR HALL: Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, is blaming al-Qaeda for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

But analysts say her death has exposed the massive weaknesses in the Government's security capability and the extent to which military rule has weakened the country's institutions.

Europe correspondent Jane Hutcheon reports.

JANE HUTCHEON: A week before Benazir Bhutto was killed, at least 50 Pakistanis died in a suicide attack on a mosque in the north-west of the country.

The outgoing Interior Minister, who was in the congregation, was believed to be the target. He escaped.

It was one of a spate of attacks in the past six months aimed at leading figures: anyone involved in the campaign, backed by Western governments against Islamist militants.

Husain Haqqani of Boston University's Centre for International Relations was former a political adviser in Pakistan. He said, apart from remote tribal areas, there isn't widespread support for the militants.

HUSAIN HAQQANI: They have essentially, historically been supported and nurtured by Pakistan's security services, which saw them as allies in their war against India, and subsequently in their war of trying to gain influence in Afghanistan. Now they have gone out of control, but that is their real strength.

JANE HUTCHEON: From bases in the lawless border regions, al-Qaeda and pro-Taliban militants have unleashed a stream of suicide bombings and violence, responsible for more than 600 deaths in the past half year.

Author Joshua Hammer.

JOSHUA HAMMER: The number of suicide attacks in Pakistan, not just along the border but throughout the country, in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, have grown tremendously. So I think that the army is losing that battle.

JANE HUTCHEON: Some commentators believe that military rule has weakened the country's institutions, so that events such Benazir Bhutto's assassination simply create more fragility.

Husain Haqqani of Boston University has advice for Pakistan's Western backers.

HUSAIN HAQQANI: The most important thing for the United States, and other backers of Pakistan, is to recognise that the Pakistani military and the intelligence services are not the solution to Pakistan's problems, they are the cause of Pakistan's problems. And the reason why Pakistan is so poor is because Pakistan invests more in its military than it does in its people.

JANE HUTCHEON: But John Bolton, the former US representative to the United Nations, believes the threat of major instability confronting Pakistan warrants international backing.

JOHN BOLTON: It's very unstable, and I think historical judgement here requires that you look at a situation like this and say when you are on the edge of chaos, potentially, what do you do to pull back from the edge.

JANE HUTCHEON: John Bolton.

The other issue of course is that Pakistan is a nuclear power and there are grave fears this capability could fall into rogue hands.

Six years after Western powers waged the multi-pronged battle against Islamist militants, and enlisted Pakistan's support, progress would appear to be painfully slow.

This is Jane Hutcheon in London for AM.

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

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