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European Union (Accessions) Bill

I yield to no one in my admiration of the elegance of the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell), who could certainly teach many of us lessons in elegance, but not in bluntness. The level of rigour being applied to Bulgaria and Romania easily bears comparison with the A10 countries that entered the EU in 2004. That is why there is tighter provision in respect of the transparency of the standards to which they need to adhere and in the transparency of the process itself than was the case in 2004. Provision has been made for a so-called super safeguard clause—sometimes alternatively described as the emergency brake procedure—whereby accession would be delayed by a year from 1 January 2007 until 2008. There are also safeguard clauses in respect of areas in which further progress was identified as necessary in Romania. We also need to emphasise that powerful safeguard mechanisms are available to the European Commission in respect of any accession country for three years following its entry into the EU. Those measures are not time limited, but there are clear processes whereby steps can be taken if difficulties emerge once a country joins the EU, and serious infraction procedures can be brought, which would have a very direct bearing on the interests of the countries concerned. Thus there are safeguard clauses and super safeguard clauses and it remains the case, as we have repeatedly said, that we stand four square behind the European Commission in having both transparency and rigour in assessing the necessary standards.