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Bulgaria, Romania seek closer ties and foreign policy cooperation

Fri, Feb 26 2010 17:49 CET

byThe Sofia Echo staff

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Bulgaria, Romania seek closer ties and foreign policy cooperation

 Teodor Baconschi and Nikolai Mladenov
Photo: Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Bulgaria and Romania should work closer together, holding regular consultations and coordinating their positions on issues of foreign policy, such as the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, the structuring of the new European External Action Service and European Union's neighbourhood policy, the foreign ministers of the two countries said in a joint statement on February 26 2010.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov met his Romanian counterpart Teodor Baconschi on February 26 in Sofia in what was Mladenov's first ministerial-level meeting since taking office. Baconschi was part of the Romanian delegation, headed by prime minister Emil Boc, which visited Bulgaria on February 25-26.

The two countries should also coordinate policies in Nato, US president Barack Obama's new plans for a missile defence shield system and Nato's peacekeeping missions, Afghanistan in particular.

"It is time for Bulgaria and Romania to put behind them the pointless competition and embark on sensible co-operation as part of the EU, Nato and the region," the statement said.

The two countries were coupled for negotiations to join the EU. Bulgaria's early lead in closing negotiation chapters at one time prompted calls for the two countries to be treated separately, with Romania's accession in January 2007 doubted until several months prior.

In the end, the two countries joined the bloc as scheduled and in the years that followed, the perception shifted to favour Romania, which in the European Commission's opinion did a better job reforming its judiciary and fighting organised crime.

"The two ministers emphasised that there is the political will to coordinated the positions of Bulgaria and Romania on issues of mutual interest and much closer co-operation in preparations for joining the Schengen area and the euro zone, infrastructure projects, as well as future measures to tackle the problems facing the two countries, related to the EU co-operation and verification mechanism," the statement said.

Bulgaria and Romania are scheduled to join the Schengen area in March 2011. Neither country has a firm date for joining the euro zone, but Bulgaria targets 2013 as the year it wants to adopt the euro.

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