Knocking on heaven's door: Bulragia and Romania are in! What about Croatia?

The European Commission published on September 26 Monitorning Report on the State of Preparedness for EU Membership of Bulgaria and Romania, announcing that the two countries have made enough progress to enter the EU as scheduled on 1 January 2007.

Both Barroso and Rehn described this as a historic moment, for those two countreis, of course. I am affraid, for Croatia,a s well, as a clear message was sent, as Barroso announced that the EU will postpone any longer accessions, stating clear that Croatia's aspiration of participating at the following elections for the European Parleiment in 2009 are unrelaistic.

OK, back to Bulgaria and Romania, good for them; they are in, even though according to the news governments have not accepted the news with overexcitment! In Romania a celebration was cautious, and Bulgarian prime minister probably was a bit too pathetic claiming Bulgaria's acceptance to the EU represents a final fall of the Berlin Wall. Both countries will in spite of accession be subjected to monitoring, especially with regard to judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime, food safety and proper use of EU funds. They are asked to report to the European Parliament and the EU Council every six months concerning the progress they have made. This kind of safe-guard options and insistance on post-accession conditionality has made some to conclude that Roma nia and Bulgaria "will be monitored more closely than previous acceeding countries".

The extent to which the Commission is showing its intention to keep a close eye on the two countries is part of an overall strategy to re-assure the voters the next enlargement will not come too soon!

I got slightly surprised reading in different internet sources about Barroso's attemt to woo an increasingly enlargement-sceptical EU public in the occassion of next enlargement announcemnet, and announcing that Croatia could be the country most immediately affected by limited absorption capacity of the EU. The rejection of current Croatian government's paltform to get the country into the EU in 2009 will harm its chances on the elections that are schaduled for the next year! Enlargement Commissioner Rehn reiterated though Croatia might join EU this decade if internal institutional issues would be resolved before 2009.