The European Union executive has asked Romania to provide urgent information about the adoption of its children abroad following its admission that the practice had continued despite a ban, a spokesman said yesterday.
The European Parliament's rapporteur on Romania, Ms Emma Nicholson, called on the EU to suspend negotiations on Romania's membership of the bloc unless Bucharest implemented more reforms.
"Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen has been in contact with the Romanian authorities at the highest level, including with Prime Minister Nastase, to request information and clarification as a matter of urgency about international adoptions," European Commission spokesman Mr Diego de Ojeda said.
Romania is scheduled to join the EU in 2007, when it will be eligible for funding. But Ms Nicholson said further negotiations should be suspended "unless the country's reform process is put back on track".
"Romania must properly implement reforms already passed and, in particular, must tighten up the rule of law," she said in a statement.
"The Romanian government should also do more to tackle corruption and to safeguard the rights of children."
In Bucharest, Integration Minister Mr Alexandru Farcas told reporters he hoped an amendment to Ms Nicholson's draft report on Romania, submitted to the parliament on Tuesday and calling for the suspension of negotiations, would be rejected.
"If the amendment is accepted it would harm us all," he said.
The Balkan country froze foreign adoptions in 2001, to the dismay of many couples awaiting children, after Brussels said it had to clean up a corrupt system of auctioning children and draw up legislation on child protection.
Mr Ojeda said Mr Verheugen had not threatened Romania with cutting funds or suspending EU accession negotiations.
"On the basis of what we may receive (in reply from Romania) we'll have to decide on what course of action to follow," he said, adding that since they were still awaiting clarification from Bucharest there could be no question of making a threat.
Mr Ojeda said the Commission wanted the moratorium to remain in place until satisfactory legislation was adopted.
- (Reuters)