Will Romania and Bulgaria manage accession by 2007?:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Concerns expressed by the Romanian industry association, AFPM, over Romania's readiness to join the EU because of its poor record with regard to the medical device industry, are being reflected in concerns generally among EU leaders about the country's ability to fulfil its obligations on time. EU member states have agreed that the accession treaties of both Bulgaria and Romania should be signed in April 2005, with membership scheduled for January 1 2007, but may apply safeguard clauses in advance that apply three years into their membership in case their commitments slide. MEPs are particularly concerned that the accession of Romania and Bulgaria may have to be postponed by a year if they cannot fulfil certain criteria in time. They have listed a number of important steps that Romania will have to take, in particular urging the country to continue the reform of its welfare system, especially as far as health services and mental health are concerned.