European Union (Accessions) Bill

Thank you, Sir Alan, for correcting me and helping me. I shall be brief, as I spoke at some length on Second Reading. We should not underestimate the importance of the accession treaty. Although we are dealing with only two countries this year, whereas last year we were dealing with the accession of 10 nations to the EU, there are some important strategic objectives and changes that need to be borne in mind.For the first time, the EU will reach to the Black sea, and Greece will be connected to the rest of the EU. Romania will have the seventh largest population in the EU, after Spain, Poland and the big four. This is a significant enlargement, not just a tidying-up exercise. I agree with other speakers about the changes that have taken place in Bulgaria and Romania over the past 20 years. I first travelled to those countries in the late 1980s as a student. The changes since then, in the space of one generation, are incredibly dramatic and could serve as a model for many other countries seeking to introduce free market economies, democratic systems and so on. It was the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher who first outlined in the Chamber the possible accession of these two countries. The first mention of the possibility of Bulgarian and Romanian accession to the European Union came on 31 January 1990 in a speech made by the then hon. Member for Warwickshire, North, now my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude), who said that he was looking forward to seeing various countries join the EU, including Bulgaria and Romania. Accession and enlargement have long been on the Conservative agenda. I shall outline some of the problems that we need to bear in mind with the accession. Bulgaria and Romania are not necessarily perfect candidates, but I am not sure that three or four years back, Poland and others were perfect candidates. The first problem is corruption, about which other hon. Members have spoken. It is a problem in Bulgaria more than in Romania. The second is organised crime, mafia-style crime problems and assassinations. Only about four weeks ago in Bulgaria, one of the country’s most senior bankers was assassinated. Significant improvements still need to be made on environmental matters in towns such as Ruse and in areas of Transylvania. There are problems in relation to minorities—the Hungarian community and the Vlach community in Romania, and the Turkish community and Roma community in both countries. Finally, drug and people trafficking will probably always be a problem in those countries, partly due to their geography, as they are situated at the entry point to Europe. Practically every new trafficking problem has come through the Bosphorus and up into Europe over the past century. I broadly welcome the Bill. It is important to view it as significant in its own right, not just as a tidying-up exercise. We should congratulate Romania and Bulgaria on their accession. We need to keep an eye on the problems that I and others identified on Second Reading and in Committee, but we should warmly welcome the Bill nevertheless.