EU: Bulgaria and Romania have signed accession treaties with the European Union, moving a step closer to full EU membership by 2007.
Representatives from both countries will from now on attend all EU meetings as observers but their EU membership could be delayed if they fall behind in introducing agreed reforms.
Luxembourg prime minister Jean-Claude Juncker acknowledged that the possibility of a French rejection of the EU constitution cast a shadow over yesterday's event but insisted that the referendum would have no effect on Bulgaria and Romania's progress towards joining the EU.
"I recognise the fact the atmosphere in Europe at the moment is not entirely joyous," he said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said yesterday's event was good news for the EU and for Ireland.
"We welcome the fact that Bulgaria and Romania are joining, two very substantial states, and the fact that Ireland was part of the negotiating process gives us some satisfaction," he said.
Bulgaria and Romania would add 30 million to the EU's population but both countries are poor by EU standards and will receive substantial subsidies from Brussels.
Under the terms of the accession treaties, the two countries must introduce reforms to fight corruption, strengthen border controls, improve judicial and administrative systems and change rules on state aid to industry.
If either country fails to do so, its accession to the EU could be postponed until 2008.
EU foreign ministers sought yesterday to move forward in negotiations on the EU's next seven-year budget plan but Mr Ahern said that big differences remained.
He said that Ireland backed the European Commission's call for a budget ceiling set at 1.24 per cent of the EU's Gross National Income (GNI).
A number of large countries want the budget capped at 1 per cent of GNI but Mr Ahern said the majority favoured a more generous budget.
He said that Ireland and France had formed a strong alliance to resist any reopening of an agreement on the Common Agricultural Policy that guarantees payments to farmers until 2013.