Romania's progress towards accession. Strategy paper and 2003 report

PURPOSE : to present the strategy paper on the progress towards accession by Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. CONTENT : the Commission has adopted the Regular Reports on the efforts made by Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey in view of satisfying the accession criteria by 2007. This year's Regular Reports show that the Bulgaria and Romania have continued to make significant progress over the last year in implementing the accession criteria. They continue to fulfil the political criteria and are closer to fulfilling the economic and acquis criteria. Accession negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania will continue on the same basis and principles that applied to the ten acceding states, in particular the own merits principle. As in the past, the pace of the negotiations will be determined principally by progress made by the negotiating countries in incorporating the acquis into their legislation and in building the capacity to implement and enforce it effectively. The Commission will continue to monitor the fulfilment of the negotiating countries' commitments. The Union's stated objective is to welcome Bulgaria and Romania as members in 2007, depending on further progress in complying with the membership criteria. This objective must remain the firm focus of these two countries' preparations and the Commission will support them in achieving this goal. In order for accession to take place in 2007, a common Accession Treaty for Bulgaria and Romania should be signed at the latest towards the end of 2005, which would require that the negotiations be finalised in due time before that. This is to be preceded by the Commission's final recommendation on the readiness of Bulgaria and Romania for accession. The Thessaloniki European Council supported Bulgaria and Romania in their efforts to achieve the objective of concluding negotiations in 2004, inviting them to step up their preparations on the ground. Meeting this objective will depend on the real progress made on the ground and in the negotiating process on the basis of each country's own merits. The Commission will present to the Council, at the beginning of 2004, a three-year common financial framework for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania in order to prepare the ground for the completion of negotiations. In line with the conclusions of the Thessaloniki European Council, discussions or agreement on future policy reforms, or the new financial perspective, shall neither impede the pursuit and conclusion of accession negotiations nor be prejudged by the outcome of these negotiations. The Commission considers that in order to ensure fairness vis-à-vis both present and future acceding countries and to simplify the negotiations, this financial framework should be based on the principles and methodology developed for the negotiations with the ten acceding countries. On this basis, the Commission will then propose to the Council common negotiation positions dealing with the financial implications in the fields of agriculture, regional policy and budgetary issues.�