His group, he said, welcomed the fact that Bulgaria and Romania were on their way to membership "What a huge achievement this is for Romania and Bulgaria after 45 years of communism, waste and mismanagement - they have turned themselves into states based on the rule of law."
Sociāldemokrātu grupas priekšsēdētājs Martin SCHULZ (PSE, DE) atbalstīja Eiropas Komisijas pieeju, tomēr prasīja lielāku precizitāti, izvirzot kritērijus. "