The Hindu : Business : Romania and Bulgaria join EU

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 02, 2007
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Romania and Bulgaria join EU

The bloc's membership increases to 27 nations

— PHOTO: AP

HOPES OF A BETTER FUTURE: Romanians holding the European Union flag cheer during New Year celebrations for Romania's accession to the EU in Bucharest on Monday.

SOFIA (BULGARIA): Bulgaria and Romania — two ex-communist nations from one of the poorest corners of Europe — joined the European Union (EU) on Monday, bringing the bloc's membership to 27 nations.

Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said the accession — 17 years after the fall of communism — fulfilled "a generation's dream.''

The two countries officially joined the EU to joyous fireworks celebrations in the two capitals, Sofia and Bucharest. Within hours, Bulgarian officials removed the customs barriers at 15 border crossings with Greece and Romania, opening Bulgarian roads to EU trade. "We all know that the road to full integration into European structures has not yet come to an end,'' German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement.

Both countries must report to the EU every six months on progress in reforms to curb corruption and streamline their judiciaries.— AP

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