06/04/2006 (Agence Europe) - As negotiations opened between Western Balkan countries with a view to extending and modernising the Central Europe Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) (EUROPE 9166), on Thursday in Bucharest, Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson urged for an “ambitious” free trade agreement covering liberalisation of services, the opening of public markets, the protection of intellectual property and regulatory convergence. “I hope also that you will be able to resist those voices calling for protectionism or isolation”, he told negotiators. Speaking before business leaders in Bucharest on Thursday, Mandelson criticised the governments that have “failed” to communicate the advantages of the 2004 enlargement to citizens. He said: “The political failure of the past 15 years has not been to secure enlargement … but it has been a failure to sell it!” This lack of communication also explains why the EU is not sufficiently prepared for the economic, social and constitutional consequences of this enlargement, the Commissioner said. Rather than creating problems for the EU, the new members with their “competitiveness and economic dynamism” make a “vital contribution to Europe's strength”, he stressed.