Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Signature of the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union took place in the margins of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 25 April in Luxembourg. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and I signed the treaty on behalf of Ireland. Ireland warmly welcomes the prospective accession of our two new partners. We will open embassies in both countries later this year.

The treaty now falls to be ratified by Ireland and by all the other signatories before the planned accession date of 1 January 2007. For previous accessions, ratification has involved a motion in the Oireachtas and an amendment to the European Communities Act 1972. Ratification can be expected on this occasion to follow a similar procedure. Bulgaria and Romania are entitled, since signature of the treaty on 25 April, to take their seats as active observers at nearly all EU meetings and did so at the meeting of European affairs ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday, 26 April 2005.

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