(Initially published in http://www.romania-report.ro/ - Jun 24, 2005)
German opposition leader and possible future chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken out in favour of the EU upholding its commitments to Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia.
In an interview with German daily 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung', Mrs Merkel said that "with its enlargement policy to date, the EU has reached the limits of its ability to integrate".
She said that the bloc should set new priorities but stresses that the EU's membership promises toward Sofia, Bucharest and Zagreb should be kept.
Her words appear to draw a line under the several negative comments that have been emerging from Christian Democrat quarters implying that even Bulgaria and Romania's membership - planned for 2007 - is no longer so sure.
But the CDU leader drew the line at both Turkey's and the Balkans' membership by adding "but by then a point will have been reached where we stop".
She suggested that full membership should now longer be the only result of a European perspective. Speaking generally about the EU, she suggested that there should be a change in how power is divided between Brussels and the member states, indicating that it is no longer acceptable that competences go to the EU without governments getting power back in return.
With general elections set to take place in Germany in September and with Mrs Merkel having a strong chance of becoming the new chancellor, her words have taken on a far greater weight.
One German paper suggested this morning that British prime minister Tony Blair's keynote speech before the European Parliament on Thursday (23 June) was addressed to the successors of French President Chirac and German chancellor Gerhard Schroder.
Source: EU Observer
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