Romania ratifies EU accession treaty

Romania, like Bulgaria, was not obliged to hold a referendum on the matter.

"This is a historic moment for Romania", parliament speaker Adrian Nastase has said after the vote, according to news agencies.

"The ratification of the treaty is a turning-point in Romania's political history", Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu was quoted as saying by AFP.

Furthermore, Mr Tariceanu has asserted that the fight against corruption and the reform of the judiciary would be the priorities of his government in the coming months.

Bulgaria and Romania should fully join the 25-nation-bloc on 1 January 2007. But both have a so-called safeguard clause in their accession treaties, making it possible to postpone the membership, if they do not comply with their reform commitments.

However, Romania has a complementary clause in its contract, saying its membership may also be delayed by a year if it does not make enough reforms in the fields of justice and home affairs, and competition policy.

This supplementary clause can be activated by member states by a qualified majority.

But the Romanian Prime Minister made a commitment in front of the Parliament's chambers to "launch the necessary reforms to make the EU integration possible, respecting Brussels' calendar and not yield to pressures of any kind".

All political parties in the country, as well as most Romanian citizens, support the country's EU accession.

Romania and Bulgaria signed their accession treaties on 25 April. With Bulgaria having endorsed its on 11 May, both countries have now ratified the documents.

They also have to be ratified by all EU members to come into force.