Reports and Analyses

Dimitar Stoyanov, observer from the quota of the Ataka nationalist coalition infuriated his colleagues in Strasburg with his racist statements regarding Livia Jaroka
An avalanche of protests against Dimitar Stoyanov, observer from the quota of the Ataka nationalist coalition, exploded at the European Parliament and the Bulgarian National Assembly. The protests were triggered by his racist statement.

Romanian Minister Delegate Cristian David presented the objectives of the Programme for the post-accession structural adjustment to the World Bank's chief economist for Europe and Central Asia Pradeep Mitra during a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, ACT Media news agency reports.

The programme aims to strengthen and improve the positive economic results and it will complete the structural reform in Romania.

Top EU and Romanian officials have reacted with trust and caution to the European Commission report on Tuesday that confirmed January 1, 2007 as the date Romania and Bulgaria will join the EU.

In its last such report, the Commission took into consideration the progress registered by the two countries and said it trusted they’d be ready to assume all the rights and obligations of member states at the beginning of next year. But it also proposed a set of measures to push Romania and Bulgaria into further reform in key areas.

EC President Jose Manuel Barroso
The head of the European Commission voiced Brussels’ determination to implement a mechanism to check further progress in the two countries, eyeing the process of reform in the fields of justice, fight against corruption and organized crime. “EU rules provide a set of complex measures to allow the evaluation of risks”, he said.