Europe and Sustainability

Round Table

Bucharest, June 16th – 18th , 2006

with the BULGARIAN, GERMAN and ROMANIAN
ASSOCIATIONS FOR THE CLUB OF ROME

Probably in January 2007 the European Union will be enlarged. Two new members, Romania and Bulgaria, will join and contribute to the European Project.

As with ealier enlargements there are chances and challenges related to the process: Chances and challenges both for the new member states and for the European Union. And as usual, there are very different voices heard, ranging from euphory to deep scepticism.

Past rounds of enlargements have shown that none of the one-sided positions were justified.

The Round Table with experts both from the new member states Bulgaria and Romania and from the old member states discussed the impact of the enlargement related to sustainable development:

• Which are the possible contributions of the Romania and Bulgaria to the ecological, social and economic sustainability of the Union?

• How can the major challenges and risks be defined, in which areas are gaps existing between the old and the new members?

• How are the strategical objectives of the Europan Union perceived in Bulgaria and Romania?