Sofia, Bulgaria
Bulgaria and Romania signed treaties with the European Union this week that could allow the countries to become full E.U. members as early as 2007. But the two former communist countries must make sweeping political and economic reforms if they are to meet that goal. Bulgaria needs a completely new criminal code and must crack down on organized crime. Romania, which was only declared a “market economy” last year, must eliminate many of its state subsidies, draft new environmental laws, and drastically improve living conditions for its Gypsy minority. Romanian President Traian Basescu called E.U. membership “the fulfillment of a dream more than half a century old.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
