Brussels, 05/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) Michel Delebarre, who in principle defends Romania's EU membership from 1 January 2007, is making an official visit to Bucharest on 6 and 7 September to see what progress has been made in Romania and look at the state of progress of regional authorities when it comes to the use of Structural Funds. During his stay, he will meet the presidents of the departments of Teleorman, Liviu Nicolae Dragnea (who is also President of the National Union of Departmental Councils in Romania), Doru Laurian Badulescu from Ilfov, and Florin Serghei Anghel from Prahova, as well as the opposition leader, Mircea Geoana, President of the Romanian Social Democrat Party. We recall that the Commission is to publish its last follow-up report on Romania's preparations for membership on 26 September. A Committee press release stresses that President Delebarre shares the opinion of those who consider that the additional transitional provisions could be concluded in the areas of competition policy and justice and home affairs.
Furthermore, President Delebarre will speak on 7 September during the plenary session of the XVIIth Congress of the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation (CEEP), the theme of which is to improve citizens' confidence in an enlarged Europe thanks to the modernisation of services of general interest. Michel Delebarre will on that occasion reaffirm his support for a framework directive on services of general interest and appeal for the social reactivation of the European project, the press release states.