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Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

19.05.08: Bulgaria and Romania face EU sanctions over corruption - 0 views

  • European Commission officials are to visit Sofia and Bucharest this week to assess judicial reforms, EurActiv Romania reports. The visit takes place amid mounting pressure in Brussels to invoke so-called "safeguard clauses" against the two countries, which could result in EU funds being slashed.
  • Background: Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in January 2007 under precise conditions. There are three areas where safeguard measures can be invoked under Bulgaria and Romania's EU Accession Treaties: economic, internal market and judicial reforms.  The safeguard clause can be invoked up to three years after accession and could result for example in food export bans or cuts to EU funds in areas such as agriculture and "structural" policies.
  • Experts from the European Commission will visit Sofia and Bucharest in the week of 19-23 May to assess the justice reforms, EurActiv.ro writes. According to reports in the Romanian press, the mission takes place at a time when some officials in Brussels are wondering whether taking the two countries onboard as early as January 2007 was "a mistake" and are applying pressure to activate the safeguard clause on justice.  Both countries could lose EU funds or have their national court decisions annulled if a safeguard clause is triggered against them. 
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  • Links Press articles Radio Free Europe: EU: Brussels Putting Romania, Bulgaria Under The Microscope Reuters: In Romania, high-level corruption resists reform TheDiplomat.ro In Romania, high-level corruption resists reform Reuters: EU's limited power to pressure newcomers Chritian Science Monitor: In Romania, high-level corruption resists reform
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

05.02.08: Romania and Bulgaria warned over 'slow' anti-corruption efforts - 0 views

  • The Commission's interim reports on the progress made by Romania and Bulgaria on judiciary reform and fighting corruption and organised crime show that both countries must seriously step up their efforts ahead of the next detailed evaluation due in mid-2008. Otherwise they could face sanctions, Brussels warned. Related:
  • European Union Commission: Report On Progress in Bulgaria under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (4 February 2008) Commission: Report On Progress in Romania under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (4 February 2008) Commission memo: Interim Report on Progress in Bulgaria with Judiciary Reform and the Fight against Corruption and Organised Crime (4 February 2008) [FR] [DE] Commission memo: Interim Report on Progress in Romania with Judiciary Reform and the Fight against Corruption (4 February 2008) [FR] [DE] Commission: Assessing ongoing progress by Bulgaria and Romania [FR] [DE]
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

31.12.08: Corruption in Bulgaria tests EU expansion - 0 views

  • Frustrations mount over Bulgaria – the most violent, corrupt, and poorest of EU members. Aid is being withheld as reform promises are made (and broken). Can it be fixed?
  • Bulgaria's case was putting the credibility of EU enlargement at stake: Brussels needed to send a message to those arguing against further expansion and to candidates banging on the door, including Croatia, Serbia, Albania, and Turkey. Just last month, EU officials warned Croatia that its failure to crack down on organized crime and corruption jeopardizes its chance to join the EU next year. "Brussels needed to get serious, to show they're not just taking a country's word for fighting corruption," says Katinka Barysch, deputy director of the Center for European Reform in London. "If they can't do that with Bulgaria, how are you going to do that with the countries still queuing outside?" In late November, Brussels slapped Sofia with an unprecedented penalty, withdrawing €220 million ($315 million) in development assistance – less than the initial threat of €500 million, but still a huge sum for the poorest EU member.
  • When Bulgaria and Romania were finally admitted to the EU in January 2007, they became the first to enter with strings attached: They were given several months to clean up their legal systems and to develop methods of tracking EU funding. Promises were made, but deadlines were missed, prompting a growing litany of threats from Brussels.
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  • The next EU evaluation of Bulgaria is due in January. Another $15 billion in assistance that Bulgaria stands to receive from the EU over the next few years could be pulled. A greater humiliation, says Ruslan Stefanov, an analyst with the Center for Study of Democracy in Sofia, would be internal shunning: Brussels could bar Bulgaria from joining both the eurozone of shared European currency and the visa-free travel area known as the "Schengen." Something has to give. Bulgarian lawmakers, up for reelection next year, find little sympathy at home. Opinion polls indicate greater support for Brussels than their own leaders.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

23.07.09 Bulgaria, Romania remain under Commission scrutiny - 0 views

  • Having consistently made 'technical' progress, Bulgaria and Romania need help to crack down on corruption, the European Commission said on 22 July with the publication of its annual monitoring reports, pledging further support while the two EU newcomers remain under scrutiny.
  • Background: When Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU on 1 January 2007, shortcomings remained regarding judicial reform and the fight against corruption - and in the case of Bulgaria, the fight against organised crime. These shortcomings carried the risk that the two countries would be unable to apply Community law correctly and their citizens would not be able to fully enjoy their rights as EU citizens.  A Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) was set up to assist both member states. Moreover, the European Commission retained the right to use special safeguards, included in the accession treaties and invoked against new member states as a last resort. If used, the process could lead the EU to refuse to recognise court decisions or even freeze payments of EU funds. Such an unprecedented decision, if applied, would also badly hurt the countries' reputations.  In a turnaround compared to previous monitoring reports, where Bulgaria was invariably portrayed as the laggard in meeting EU standards on judicial reform and fighting corruption (EurActiv 24/07/09), the Brussels executive unveiled reports last February which depicted Romania as the slow performer this time (EurActiv 13/02/09).  The annual reports on Bulgaria and Romania are prepared by the Commission's secretariat-general under the authority of President José Manuel Barroso, in agreement with Vice-President Jacques Barrot. Recently the French Senate cautioned against "stigmatising" the EU's most recent members and suggested fine-tuning the CVM (EurActiv 30/06/09). 
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

07.05.10: Expert: In Bosnia every reform fails due to corruption - 0 views

  • The EU should not give up on Bosnia and Herzegovina despite its ongoing internal divisions, yet the country must improve its legal system as governmental reforms simply fail as a result of corruption, Jan Havránek, an expert on security issues and a research fellow at the Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI), told EurActiv Czech Republic in an interview.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

05.11.10: EU enlargement reports reveal mixed progress for Balkan states - 0 views

  • The European Commission's latest progress reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and Macedonia have revealed wide variation between these neighbouring Balkan states and mixed progress towards EU accession requirements.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Poor governance
  • The governance of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is one of the most complex problems facing the Balkan region, according to the European Commission's latest progress report on the country.
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  • Croatia: Praise for anti-corruption and competition policy Compared to its hefty critique of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the commission's assessment of Croatia is much more encouraging. The country made "steady progress" towards meeting the remaining criteria needed to conclude the accession talks that began five years ago. However, the commission does not give a target date for accession.
  • Kosovo: Weak judiciary and lack of media freedom Kosovo is reported to have made progress on meeting political criteria and decentralisation has improved. Even though there has been some progress towards eliminating corruption and organised crime, Kosovo continues to suffer from these problems. The commission has mainly expressed disappointment about the state of Kosovo's judicial system and the lack of media freedom – the judiciary remains weak and the appointment of judges is politically influenced.
  • Macedonia: Unsteady progress and paralysed by naming row Macedonia fulfils the political criteria for EU membership but has made "uneven" progress with reforms during the last year, the commission report on the country concludes. In 2009, Macedonia had been praised for its reforms, prompting Brussels to recommend the start of accession talks with the EU. Negotiations were then blocked by Greece because of the unresolved name dispute between the two countries. This year, the commission is more critical but does not revoke last year's opinion on the start of accession talks.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

06.11.10: Albania and Bosnia to get visa-free travel before Christmas - 0 views

  • EU interior ministers are on Monday (8 November) expected to lift visa requirements for Albanian and Bosnian citizens despite limited progress in terms of democracy, the fight against organised crime and corruption in the two countries.
  • To Bosnians and Albanians, the news is sweet after they were left behind last year when Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro got on the visa-free list. Kosovo, on the other hand, has little prospect of catching up as it is not even recognised by all EU member states. On the EU side, some capitals are unhappy about the developments. The Netherlands is opposing the move, saying there has been too little progress in terms of democratisation, organised crime and corruption in Albania and Bosnia and pointing to the political chaos in both countries. France is also reluctant, fearing a massive influx of migrants. The EU commission has given reassurances that Tirana and Sarajevo will make it clear that visa-free travel is not a ticket to asylum or residence in the EU after problems with Macedonian asylum seekers last year. But even if France or the Netherlands votes No or abstain on Monday, the decision will be adopted by qualified majority. The commission itself shares Dutch concerns. In the 2010 accession progress reports on the two countries, to be published on Tuesday and seen by EUobserver, neither Albania nor Bosnia win much praise. "Bosnia and Herzegovina has made limited progress in addressing key reforms. Incompatibilities between the Bosnian constitution and the EU convention on human rights were not removed, despite the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights," the document says. It also criticises Bosnia for lacking "a shared vision by the leaders on the overall direction of the country and on key EU-related reforms." On Albania, it says the political stalemate after 2009 elections is the biggest obstacle to progress. It adds that Albania has made too little headway to be granted the status of EU candidate country, for which it applied in 2009. "Activities of organised crime groups in Albania, having impact outside of the country, remain an issue of serious concern. Further strenghtening of co-operation at the international level is necessary, including in particular with neighbouring countries," it says.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

15.12.08: Albania Govt in "Communist Files" Row - 0 views

  • Albania’s right-wing coalition is expected to back a law on the cleanliness of high administration figures, which has come under harsh criticism by the opposition and interest groups. The draft-law would dismiss from office judges and prosecutors that worked during Albania’s half-a-century-long period of communist rule, led by former Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha. The Albanian opposition has slammed the law as unconstitutional and claims that the government is aiming to get rid of the prosecutors that are investigating high profile corruption cases.
  • Experts argue that the drafting of the law is problematic because according to the Albanian constitution, to dismiss a supreme court judge, a simple majority is not enough, but two-thirds of parliamentary votes.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

17.02.09: Kosovo as private property - 0 views

  • Kosovo Albanians celebrated Feb. 17th  their first year of sc. Independence.  Among normal praising statements and congratulations there was also various definitions of the status of this Serbia's separatist province.  Newest for me was one of which  the former PM Ramush Haradinaj used.  He addressed many criticisms toward the Government - a quote (Koha Ditore, Zëri, Epoka e Re): We are witnesses of the transformation of the state into the private property of the leadership that wants to monopolize everything good that we inherited, our entire history and future, and which has transformed Government into organized corruption. Rude words but given the background also understandable.  Today's PM Thaci and Haradinaj are representing two leading and competing tribes or clans of organized crime in Kosovo.  Both have been accused also e.g. about war crimes, Haradinaj even was in Haague but released when witnesses surprisingly were murdered or threaded to keep their mouth shut. State as private property is quite good description  about how matters stand.  I have earlier described circumstances in Kosovo with  “Quadruple Helix Model” where government, underworld, Wahhabbi schools and international terrorism have win-win symbiosis.  First I was thinking that Kosovo is sliding to be a "failed state" now I am tending to the opinion that a "captured state" is better definition - maybe Kosovo's ex-PM is concluding the same.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

05.03.08: Brussels sees 2008 as decisive for the Balkans - 0 views

  • Brussels has said that this year could be "decisive" for the western Balkan countries and their EU path, if they implement certain reforms.

    If Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfils its political conditions, including the adoption of a state-level political reform, it "should be able to sign" a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) – a first step towards EU membership – in April, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn reaffirmed when presenting a paper on the western Balkans published by the European Commission on Wednesday (5 March).

    The former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia could get a date for opening EU accession negotiations if it meets "key priorities", including putting in place reforms of the judiciary and the public administration, and implementing a police and anti-corruption law.
  • This year could also be "decisive" for Croatia if it makes "substantial progress" with its judicial and administrative reforms, with the fight against corruption and the restructuring of its ship-building industry.
  • For their part, potential candidates Albania and Montenegro need to build a "convincing track record over the implementation of the SAAs and pursue reforms with determination," while Kosovo must ensure its commitment to a "democratic and multi-ethnic society".
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  • The enlargement commissioner also underlined Serbia's "central" role for maintaining stability in the region, and called on Belgrade to "reaffirm its commitment to closer ties with the EU", following recent statements by some Serbian politicians.
  • On Wednesday, commissioner Rehn also presented a series of proposals designed to further contact between citizens of the Balkans and the EU. These include doubling the number of scholarships for students from the Balkans, opening up EU programmes in science and research, education and culture to countries of the region, and aiming for visa-free travel for every country.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

20.10.08: Macedonia unlikely to start EU talks this year - 0 views

  • Macedonia does not seem ready at this stage to open accession talks with the EU before the end of the year, as initially hoped, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn has said.
  • The European Commission will on 5 November publish its annual reports on progress accomplished by EU hopefuls from the Western Balkans and Turkey. Skopje has been told to fulfil eight political criteria - or benchmarks - before it is allowed to start EU membership negotiations. These include better "dialogue between political parties, implementation of the law on police and anti-corruption legislation, reform of the judiciary and public administration, as well as measures in employment policy and for enhancing the business environment."
  • Mr Rehn had also said in March he hoped to be able to recommend the opening of talks in November. But on Monday, he told AFP: "For the moment, it seems to me that these eight benchmarks have not been fulfilled." The country "has still to improve its judicial and administrative reforms, and also to prove that the next elections will be conducted according to all international and European norms," he added.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

15.12.08: Montenegro files EU membership application - 0 views

  • Montenegro on Monday (15 December) presented its official application for EU membership to current EU President Nicolas Sarkozy, hoping to win EU candidate country status some time next year. EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed the country's move, saying: "Today Montenegro has reached a historical milestone marking the country's important engagement to common European values and fundamentals."
  • The commission says the country is still lagging behind in many fields and EU membership is not expected to occur in the very near future. Among other issues, Podgorica, the capital, needs to reform further the public administration of the country, as well as its judicial system and to make further efforts in the fight against corruption – problematic areas common to all Balkan states.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

Popescu (2008), Enlargement Lite - 0 views

  • But unlike the “accession neighbors” of Central Europe or the Western Balkans, the EU's eastern neighbors have two other alternatives to the EU: joining the gradually re-consolidating Russian “sphere of influence” or playing a Tito-style game of perpetual maneuvering between East and West to strengthen their position, rather than fully committing to one or the other. The new neighbors can more easily eschew EU conditionality and attendant reforms. They also have deeply corrupt and often authoritarian elites whose primary goal is to stay in power.
  • As a result, most Eastern European governments want an ENP “a la carte.” Unlike the accession countries of the 1990s, they are much more selective of what they take from the EU. Most of them are not interested in importing the whole acquis. Why should they adopt expensive social or environmental laws, if they are not going to join the EU?
  • The EU is entering a new game in the neighborhood (and even in countries like Turkey or Serbia). A reworked model of ENP, or what is effectively enlargement-lite, might work for Moldova and Ukraine, but is unlikely to have much effect elsewhere. Instead, the EU's ability to shape the future development - and choices -- of its other eastern neighbors will depend on the EU's capacity to differentiate and play the different “sovereignty games” of its neighbors, which implies being much more responsive to their needs.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

21.01.09: Croatia's timetable threatened by border dispute - 0 views

  • Croatia's on-going border dispute with Slovenia must be solved within the next few weeks or the country is unlikely to conclude EU talks by the end of the year as planned, the MEP in charge of the dossier has warned. In his report on Croatia's EU progress, approved by deputies in the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee on Wednesday (21 January), Austrian Socialist MEP Hannes Swoboda says that the goal of concluding negotiations in 2009 can be achieved, "provided the government of Croatia steps up its efforts to address some of the more sensitive issues linked with the accession process, including fighting organised crime and corruption." Croatia's premier, Ivo Sanader (l), and EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn (r). (Photo: European Communities, 2008) Print Comment article window.google_render_ad(); But the MEP told this website that although "in the official report we want to give a clear message that this is still possible," in reality this date is becoming increasingly "difficult to reach." "Only if the border issue is solved in the coming three to four weeks, then it is possible. Because otherwise, technically there is not enough time to deal with the issues of the chapters."
  • As of now, Croatia – an EU candidate since 2004 and aiming to become full EU member by 2011 at the latest – has opened 22 chapters of the 35 contained in its accession package, and closed seven. Referendum – an 'unacceptable' threat Recently, Slovenia also raised the threat of a referendum on Croatia's EU membership if the border issue is not solved – a move strongly criticised by the Austrian MEP. The threat is "absolutely counterproductive. Already now with the very negative or relatively negative attitude of the Slovene population – if we can believe opinion polls – I have to see [the idea] very critically," Mr Swoboda said.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

07.02.07: Domestic political situation in Romania inhibts necessary reforms - 0 views

  • This week Romania’s president faces impeachment proceedings for his removal from office, the foreign minister has already been driven from his post and the premier is embroiled in political hot water, too. Romania, in other words, is stricken by political upheaval as tensions between President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu reach their peak, undermining reforms and slowing the battle against corruption.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

30.11.2006: EU enlargement commissioner boosts Croatia's membership efforts - 0 views

  • The EU's enlargement commissioner on Thursday allayed fears in Croatia that the bloc's internal reforms will impede the country's bid for membership by 2010. In his third visit of the year, Olli Rehn also stressed urgency in reform efforts, particularly in the judiciary and public administration, as well as the fight against corruption.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

22.12.2006: Romanian parliament and parties befor accession - 0 views

  • But the majority of parliament remains genuinely anti-reformist. And as accession has become more and more secure, the support for anti-corruption measures has faded dramatically even within the ruling coalition. Meanwhile, with one small party stepping out of the coalition and the Liberal Party then splitting into two factions, the pro-reformist government has now lost its majority in parliament and early elections seem set to dominate the agenda after the winter break.
Prof. Dr  Wolfgang Schumann

09.11.2006: Balkans enlargement faces slowdown - 0 views

  • The Commission’s reports on the Western Balkans show that the EU has taken a tougher line on future enlargements. Tackling issues of judiciary reform, corruption and organised crime are some of the key issues.
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