European Union (Accessions) Bill

: I, too, intend to be brief. In general, I welcome the enlargement of the European Union, because it will help it to become the loose association to which the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. David) referred, and diminish the centralised, unified approach that has characterised it thus far. The Bill is therefore welcome. It is important to remember how far countries in the former Soviet sphere of influence have come. Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and parts of the former Soviet Union are now members of the EU, and are party to discussions about the accession of Romania and Bulgaria. That demonstrates how far they have come in recent years, as the Minister said. We welcome that progress, but we accept that there is still much more work to be done in those countries. Leverage can be exerted to reinforce human rights, tackle corruption and improve the judicial process, particularly in Bulgaria and Romania, both in the coming period and for a short time following accession. After that, however, the pressure that can be brought to bear will dissipate rapidly, so a signal should be sent to Romania and Bulgaria that accession is not an automatic process. Genuine progress must be made in a number of areas. I should like to focus on human rights, the judicial process and the rule of law in Romania. I sympathise greatly with the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs. Ellman), who spoke forcefully about her constituent’s family. I trust that everything will be done to assist her in her efforts to achieve justice. A church in my constituency that helped to run an orphanage in Romania approached me because it was concerned about child trafficking—an issue raised earlier in our short debate—and the way in which the Romanian authorities can interfere arbitrarily in children’s welfare. Laws on adoption, for instance, are loosely applied. The church has expressed genuine concern about children’s welfare and the attitude of the Romanian state towards the subject. In the coming period when, as I said, leverage can be applied, I urge the Minister and the Government to do everything in their power to ensure that such matters are progressed, particularly in relation to human rights and the rule of law. It should not be a question of turning a blind eye to some of these issues for the greater good. We should make Romania and Bulgaria, particularly the Romanian authorities, live up to their responsibilities as part of a wider Europe.