Emma Nicholson welcomes vote in favour of Romania cast by EP plenum and rejection of amendmens referring to adoptions

Baroness Emma Nicholson, European Parliament member and former Rapporteur for Romania, welcomed Thursday in a statement given to Rompres the adoption of Moscovici Report in the European Parliament Plenary Session, the last test ahead of the country’s European Union accession on January 1, 2007.

In his opinion, “it is very important, an extraordinary thing, that Romania’s European Union accession was fully validated and sustained by the EP’s Plenum”.

“I insistently recommended to my colleagues in the European Parliament to adopt the report (Moscovici) and to reject the critical amendments at the address of the children’ situation in Romania. I am glad they took account of my recommendation”, referring on the other hand to the amendments submitted by her colleagues in the same group Jean-Marie Cavada and Claire Gibault. In Baroness Nicholson’s opinion, these amendments are obsolete and do not reflect the actual situation in Romania that proved as well as it could that it has the full capacity to take care of its children.

But one should not forget that Romania is yet to become a prosperous country, meaning that there are a whole series of social problems it needs to tackle but with a lot more money, added Baroness Nicholson especially referring to the old age problems, those of the detainees in prisons or of the handicapped.

“All poor countries are faced with persisting problems of this kind, including the one of children’s welfare”, stated the former EP Rapporteur for Romania.

For the upcoming period, Emma Nicholson recommends to the Romanian authorities to direct their efforts at the social level toward improving basic public services for the entire populations and mothers’ state of health in order to ensure a higher level of children’s health.

The entire population’s health is also very important, added Emma Nicholson, reminding the big number of people in the rural zones who have no water supply and no access to basic social services.

“To accomplish that, the entire Romanian economy must improve”, concluded Baroness Nicholson. ROMPRES