President Basescu: France is to ratify in due time Romania's EU Accession Treaty (May 31, 2006)

May 31, 2006 (Romania Report)

Yesterday in Paris, at the Elysee Palace, the visiting Romanian President Traian Basescu and French President Jacques Chirac held talks focussed on Romania's entry into the European Union, which it hopes to join next year.

After an one hour meeting—instead of 30 minutes as planned—President Basescu gave a press statement saying that “It was a meeting between partners, for which I would like to publicly thank the Head of the French State.”

Under the circumstances of persistent media rumours that Paris was not happy with Romania’s efforts to strengthen ties with London and Washington, Romania’s President emphasised that there had been no crisis in the French–Romanian relationship over the past ten years, except for the moment in 2003 when Romania decided to deploy troops in Iraq. However, President Chirac did not provide any press statement following the meeting.

The President also mentioned the French Govt. had passed the Accession Treaty and submitted it for ratification by the French Parliament. The good news we received from the French President, Basescu announced, is that the French National Assembly will ratify the Accession Treaty on June 27, 2006 and the Senate will vote on October 2, before the new EC report. “Jacques Chirac even told me that he was confident that the vote would be unanimous.”

During the meeting with President Chirac, the Romanian head of state was assured that the French public opinion supports Romania’s accession to EU. It is worth mentioning that during the dialogue with the French President, the head of the Romanian state was assured that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel too, with whom the French President discussed, informed him that Germany will also ratify in due time the Accession Treaty.

"President Jacques Chirac reaffirmed that France is a supporter without any reserves of Romania's EU integration. The date of January 1, 2007 is viewed by Paris as a normal deadline of our country's European integration," Traian Basescu said.

The Romanian head of state is paying a two-day working visit to Paris, the second since taking over his office, following December 2004 elections.

Later, president Basescu met Pierre Moscovici—rapporteur for Romania to the European Parliament. Moscovici believes the intention of France to ratify Romania's Accession Treaty to the EU before the European Commission issues its monitoring report on Romania this autumn is a good thing.

"If France and Germany jointly convey a message of support and the European Commission heeds to it, the European Parliament will in turn continue its support," Moscovici said on Tuesday, May 30, at the end of a meeting in Paris with Romanian President Traian Basescu.

Moscovici warned that this does not mean there is nothing more to be done, and that Romania should enter the EU under the best circumstances so that she may become a highly performing and efficient partner.

President Basescu was also to meet French Senate’s president Christian Poncelet, the president of L’Assemblée Nationale’ Jean-Louis Debré and with members from the Foreign Affairs Commission chaired by former PM Edouard Balladur, Abdou Diouf—Secretary General of the ‘Francophone International Organization—and prominent businessmen.


Romania Report