Brussels, 21/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - Bavaria's Minister-President Edmund Stoiber (CSU) has called on Chancellor Schröder to ask the EU to reopen membership talks with Bulgaria and Romania. The transitional periods that the EU has negotiated with these two countries with a view to delaying the free movement of workers and the free provision of services are “insufficient” to protect the German employment market against “social dumping”, and should be strengthened, Stoiber stresses. He even calls on Germany to block the signature of the accession treaty: “Should it be impossible to strengthen the transitional periods relating to the free provision of services, the German government should not sign the accession treaty”. Signing of the joint accession treaty for Bulgaria and Romania is foreseen for 25 April. On 14 April, the European Parliament had massively voted in favour of accession for the two countries (EUROPE 8927).