|
BUCHAREST, Sept 17 (Reuters): Romania unveiled a set of measures yesterday to root out black market trading and produce faster results in its fight against widespread corruption, the main hurdle to its European Union entry bid.
Delays in crucial reforms, mainly in the judiciary and the fight against graft and organised crime, may prompt Brussels to delay the entry of Romania and its Balkan neighbour Bulgaria by one year to 2008.
"We've been effective at passing bills but we were inefficient so far in applying them," Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu told reporters after a cabinet meeting. "Today, we discussed concrete actions which should curb corruption substantially."
Diplomats said Brussels had warned Romania in recent months that 'enlargement fatigue' had made the EU less forgiving of shortcomings than in the past, and that Romania faced a tough task convincing the bloc it deserved to join.
Tariceanu, who won elections last year on a tough anti-graft ticket, said the measures included tightening requirements for setting up warehouses selling alcohol and oil products, which would reduce their number and make them easier to supervise.
The cabinet will also draft new rules soon for licencing casinos and gambling halls, which Tariceanu said had flourished alarmingly in recent years, and set out stricter rules for private security agencies.
|