Financial Times: Romania and Hungary have made it tougher for Balkan states to join the EU

Other Balkan states seeking EU membership may have reason to be miffed with Romania's politicians. The latest update of the European Commission's (EC) enlargement strategy puts the rule of law as its central focus and although there is no specific mention of Romania, recent events in the country must have had an influence. “Our recommendations place the rule of law firmly at the center of the accession process,” said Commissioner Stefan Füle (in picture) when presenting the annual Enlargement Package.

According to the Financial Times, the updated enlargement strategy represents a toughening up of accession conditions in direct response to events in Romania, which caused the EC to make a series of demands on respecting the rule of law in the country. The article also points to previous moves by Hungary's president Victor Orban and argues that in both countries' cases the EC found it had limited powers to control the actions of member states when they strayed from the democratic flock. Nine countries are currently seeking EU accession; Croatia is in the late stages of the process and is due to become a member in July 2013, a date that looks safe at the moment. However, other Balkan states, such as Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina may have a tougher time in the future and be asked to show more concrete evidence of irreversible reforms having been made. Read the Financial Times article. Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com photo source: ec.europa.eu