Brussels, 25/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - The Romanian Government has stated it is opposed to the request made last week by Hungary for more active involvement in the negotiations under way with Romania and Bulgaria. Last Monday, during the General Affairs Council (also attended by the ministers of the acceding countries), the Hungarian Minister for European Affairs, Endre Juhasz (former Chief Negotiator of Hungary for membership talks), had requested that Hungary be kept more informed and more quickly informed of the outcome of accession talks with the above two countries, so that it can react in time on issues that directly affect the interests of Hungary. Hungary is mainly interested in the arrangements that Romania - the neighbouring country with which Hungary shares the longest common border - is negotiating with the Fifteen in the fields of justice and home affairs (border controls, immigration, etc.), the free movement of persons and the free movement of goods. Mr Juhasz had specified that Hungary did not of course wish to play an active part in negotiations, or be represented at the negotiating meetings (this will only be possible once Hungary is officially a member of the EU), but that it wished simply to receive reports on the state of progress of negotiations, in order to allow Hungarian officials to react before it is too late.
The Hungarian suggestion was also rebutted in Bucharest where Chief Negotiator Vasile Puscas felt that any Hungarian involvement in accession negotiations would bring into question the principles established by the unfolding of the enlargement process. Only the current States are authorised to take part in negotiations, Mr Puscas stressed. Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana even went further saying that, even after accession by the ten first new members on 1 May 2004, it will be out of the question to go back on the dossiers already negotiated with the Fifteen of the current EU.