Diana speaks to Romania judges as EU enlargement remains on track

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th May 2006

Local Euro MP Diana Wallis, a member of the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee and a former solicitor, spoke to a group of Romanian judges in Bucharest recently.

Romania, along with Bulgaria, are the next two countries in line to join the EU, bringing the total number of members up to 27. The European Parliament this week heard from Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn who recommended that Bulgaria and Romania should join the EU next year as planned, but only if they fulfil key conditions. These were mainly aimed at Bulgaria and Diana Wallis MEP, after her visit to Bucharest, remains convinced that Romania is ready to join.

"I was very impressed by the progress in the justice system. Speaking to the judges there they seem quite convinced that Romania is ready for EU membership. This compares sharply with just a few years ago when the judicial system was in poor shape. However the threat of being left behind has forced through some remarkable changes throughout Romanian society. I was particularly impressed by the Romania's knowledge of EU Law which compared very favourably to that of their British counterparts!"

Photo shows Diana speaking to two Romanian judges at the recent conference in Bucharest.