Bulgaria Likely to Sign Accession Treaty on Europe's Day

8 December 2004, Wednesday.

The mostly probable date for Bulgaria to sign the Accession Treaty with the European Union is May 9, 2005, according to MEP Catherine Guy-Quint, who is also co-chairing the joint parliamentary committee Bulgaria-EU.

The statement, which is the first from a EU source saying a specific date for Bulgaria's signature, was made during her meeting with a delegation of Bulgarian socialists, as quoted by the press office of Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Guy-Quint has confirmed the EU stance on the inappropriateness of separating Bulgaria and Romania on their path to joining the bloc of 25. She believed Bulgaria was a natural regional leader of the EU integration process.