Brussels, 25/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the Commission will adopt updated versions of its accession partnerships with Bulgaria and Romania (the two candidate countries with which accession negotiations are still ongoing), as well as with Turkey. The accession partnerships are the documents, revised annually, that mark out in a detailed way, the legislative, administrative and structural measures that candidate countries will take next year in view of preparations for their accession to the EU. The documents comply with the "road maps" updated by the Commission and approved by Member States during the Copenhagen summit of December 2002. Accession partnerships also establish an explicit link between respect for the measures outlined by the EU and the granting of pre-accession aid.
In connection with Bulgaria and Romania, whose common objective is to join the EU by 1 January 2007, the new accession partnerships will cover the period till the end of 2004. Commission officials have explained that the new version of the paper will highlight administrative reform (we are aware that the lack of administrative capability is a major problem in both countries), reform of the legal system and economic restructuring.
For Turkey, the revised accession partnership will represent the steps to follow for obtaining the opening of accession negotiations. Following the Summit of Copenhagen, it is in fact the end of 2004, on the basis of the progress accomplished with regard to the necessary political criteria, that the Council will or will not be advised to open negotiations. In the section on political demands, the Commission is going to point out that what is expected of Ankara is the reunification of Cyprus. Commissioner Verheugen declared at the beginning of the month that it was difficult to envisage how negotiations could begin for Turkey's accession when they found themselves in a situation where Turkey did not recognise one of the EU's Member States (EUROPE 5 March). Responding to taking this document into account with regard to a possible intrusion by Turkey into Iraqi Kurdistan (see p 4), the Commissioner's spokesperson explained that the Commission should not be expected to draw the political consequences of an event that had not happened. The spokesperson explained that the Commission would make a proposal, addressed to the Council, which would have the time leading up to its adoption, to assess the situation.
The Commission is going to propose in this document that EUR 1 billion in pre-accession aid is granted to Turkey over the next three years, which practically doubles the amount in made in the initial planned. This amount is expected to be shared out in the following way, confirmed a Commission source: EUR 250 million in 2004; EUR 300 million in 2005 and EUR 500 million in 2006.