EU leaders keep enlargement promises

Leaders of the European Union (EU)on Friday vowed to keep their commitments to countries lining up to join the 25-nation bloc.

In a draft Presidency Conclusion, the EU leaders welcomed the signing of the accession treaty in Luxembourg on April 25, which allows Bulgaria and Romania to the EU at the beginning of 2007.

Both Bulgaria and Romania is now participating in the proceedings of the EU policy-making bodies as active observers.

The EU leaders also said that they planned to fully implement their conclusion of last December, in which they set a date of October 3 for Turkey to start membership.

In the draft conclusion the EU leaders reaffirmed their commitment to full implementation of the Thessaloniki agenda, which emphasizes that the future of the Western Balkans lies in the bloc.

"Moreover, in this process, regional cooperation and good neighborly relations will remain essential elements of EU policy,"said the Conclusion.

The EU has been seeking to reassure aspiring candidates that its door will remain open to them in the chaos that has arisen since French and Dutch voters rejected European Constitution Treaty two weeks ago.

Source: Xinhua