Romania calls for positive discrimination for candidate countries
In a paper on the participation of the candidate countries in the next framework programme, Romania is calling for specific components for the countries in questions, involving positive discrimination. Specific components for candidate countries should be applied to those areas of the framework programme in which the candidate countries may participate, areas which address problems specific to one or several candidate countries and which are hindering accession and areas important to the fulfilment of the accession economic criteria, states the paper. The paper outlines a number of reasons for implementing these specific components. The document points to the need to construct an extended but integrated European socio-economic space in order to be able to effectively address long term objectives. Such specific components would also enable candidate countries to participate in major European projects from the beginning and allow the EU to benefit from 'the significant supply of relevant scientific and technical knowledge and expertise that CCs [the candidate countries] can bring in many of the next FP priority thematic areas,' states the paper.