Date of release : 13-04-2005

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : Plenary session of the European Parliament

On 13 April 2005 in Strasbourg, the European Parliament gave its assent to the Bulgarian and Romanian accession applications to the European Union. Prime Minister, current President of the European Council Jean-Claude Juncker, and Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs Nicolas Schmit were present at the event..

In accordance with Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union, each new accession to the Union requires the assent of the European Parliament, without which the Member States cannot sign the accession treaty.

The European Parliament’s assent for both applications was achieved through last-minute negotiations between the Presidency and the European Parliament.

The Parliament had made the assent for the two applications contingent upon first obtaining an agreement between the two branches of the budget authority, namely the European Parliament and the Council, on how the European Parliament would exercise its budget prerogatives in the financing of the enlargement to Bulgaria and Romania. The absence of agreement in the Council with regard to the decisions to be taken on the European Parliament’s requests in fact caused the Parliament to consider postponing the vote on giving its assent on the two applications.

Now that the Parliament has given its assent for the two applications, the path is open to  the signing of the Accession Treaty with Bulgaria and Romania, to take place next 25 April in Luxembourg.