Romania is joining the world's most successful liberal project

2.21.42pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 13th Oct 2006

Addressing the annual congress of the European Liberal Democrat Party in Bucharest today, Graham Watson MEP (group leader of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament) said:

"Romania will soon be joining the world's most successful liberal project - a Union of 27 nations joined together in an area of freedom, security and justice."

"The EU does not have the answers to everything but it offers peace, stability and prosperity for its citizens. That is why Liberals and Democrats are and will continue to be firm defenders of European integration."

"Romania is a success story of which Liberals can be especially proud," said Annemie Neyts, ELDR Party President in her key-note address yesterday to the Congress in Bucharest's parliament building known as the "palace of the people". "The imminent accession of Romania and Bulgaria brings us so much closer to the complete re-unification of Europe".

"I am convinced that Romania would not now be ready for EU membership if it were not for the determination, persistence and necessary reforms carried out by the PNL Party and Liberal government in Romania. There is now tangible evidence wherever you look that Romania is modernizing and changing for the better."