Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-185"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20041215.6.3-185"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I hope Mr Posselt will praise me as well shortly. I am not overly keen on the black-and-white film presented by the European Commission entitled ‘Romania the bad and Bulgaria the good’. Black-and-white films are not popular either in politics or in real life. Not everything is as bad in Romania and as good in Bulgaria as would appear from the picture painted by the European Commission’s amateur artists.
It is true that Bulgaria has made progress and that it should join the European Union on 1 January 2007. At the same time, however, Bulgaria has not done many of the things it should have done. I should like to refer to a number of specific points. Firstly, what use is there in Bulgarian legislation complying with EU legislation, if implementation of this legislation continues to lag behind? Secondly, trade in human beings, in particular in women and children, is still a serious problem. As a third point, the adoption system and its lack of transparency, as well as the situation in Bulgarian orphanages and special schools, continue to be a cause for concern. Fourthly, there are also concerns with regard to the situation of adults in psychiatric hospitals, and this is included in Parliament’s motion for a resolution. As a fifth point, the continuing lack of reform of the judicial system, which lags a long way behind European standards, is an Achilles’ heel for Sofia. The sixth point I should like to refer to is the widespread corruption, which is a thorn in Bulgaria’s side as it enters the EU, given that it affects various areas and levels of government and is apparent at every turn. During the past few weeks I have visited Bulgaria twice, and my remarks are by no means merely quotes from reports, but reflect what is plain for everyone to see. The seventh point is organised crime. The Bulgarian Government is acting like the choir in a Chinese opera, where the choir sings ‘let’s run away, let’s run away’ for three acts, but stays in the same place the whole time. The Bulgarian Government constantly repeats that it is taking measures to fight the mafia, but it would appear that it is mainly conducting a war of words. The mafia continues to be a serious problem. At the same time, however, the EU also sometimes takes measures that the Bulgarian public finds incomprehensible. For example, it recently demanded that a power plant in Kozloduj be shut down, even though enormous amounts of Bulgarian taxpayers’ money had been spent on modernising it in recent years.
In conclusion, Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, despite these reservations we should welcome the fact that our European family is to be joined by a nation with a history dating back over 1300 years. Bulgaria’s history is longer than many of the present EU Member States. I should like to bid Bulgaria welcome to somewhere it should have been for many years. I am sure Bulgaria will feel at home in the EU which is a Union of homelands."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples