RJEA, Vol. 2, nr. 4, Decembrie 2002

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Agriculture and EU Enlargement

Susan Senior Nello

Abstract:
Agriculture poses considerable tensions for enlargement of the European Union, because of its continuing importance both in the economies of the applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and in the EU budget and acquis communautaire. The preparation of agriculture in the candidate countries to join the EU is rendered more complex by the fact that the Community’s Common Agricultural Policy is a moving target. The aim of this paper is to provide a survey of recent developments relating to food and agriculture in the EU and Central and East European candidate countries in order to indicate the main challenges and difficulties posed by enlargement. It seems likely that agricultural policy in an enlarged EU will attach increased priority to objectives such as food safety, rural development and the environment. However, these new priorities may be expensive to realise, and may impose a growing burden on the national budgets of EU member states.

Keywords: agriculture, candidate countries, Central and Eastern Europe, EU enlargement

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Small and Medium Enterprises, Regional Development and Networking: the Emerging Framework in Romania

Daniela Luminita Constantin

Abstract:
Networking is a key word in the recent debates on SMEs and regional policies, pointing out the need and advantages of integrating these businesses in a coherent framework, which creates links, relations, exchanges between them and other actors within the region (banks, universities, research institutes, training centres, consulting firms, chambers of commerce, associations of producers, local public administration). This paper aims to explore the main features and significance of the SME sector development for addressing the regional question in Romania during the transition period and to identify the emerging evidence and perspectives of SME territorial networking phenomenon in the specific context induced by the European integration processes. Up to present the idea of creating and supporting regional networks has not been offered the adequate importance in Romania – being only partially, indirectly envisaged, so that this paper proposes some reflections that could be considered by the Romanian regional policy in the forthcoming years, as resulted from the analysis of the international experience and literature devoted to this subject.

Keywords: networking, regional development, Small and Medium Enterprises

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La zone euro et la monnaie unique face a l’elargissement de l’Union Europeene

Michel Lelart

Abstract:
Ten countries from central and eastern Europe, as well as Cyprus and Malta, have applied for membership to the European Union. This fifth enlargement, which is the first one since the creation of the eurozone, is expected to have some impact on the institutional framework of the single currency area. This article examines, by stages, the consequences of the enlargement process on the use of the euro as an international currency, on the organisation of the ECB, and on the economic policies in the EU, including monetary and foreign exchange policies. The defined stages start with the current candidate countries (the outs), to the period when they become Member States of the EU (the pre-ins), and finally to the stage when they ultimately join the eurozone (the ins). With this current EU enlargement process, the consequences are nothing less than the beginning of a new era for the euro.

Keywords: Central and Eastern Europe, EU enlargement, Euro zone, single currency

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Romanian Deposit Guarantee Scheme and the Requirements of the Acquis Communautaire

Cristian Bichi

Abstract:
This paper compares the Romanian and EU deposit insurance legislation in order to identify the changes, which are needed in order to obtain a full compatibility of the national regulations in the field of deposit protection with the corresponding European rules. The first part outlines the main features of the EU Directive 94/19/EEC on deposit guarantee schemes in order to find out to what extent Romania is bound to incorporate the relevant acquis communautaire into its national legislation. It results that the directive contains explicit harmonization provisions as regards the minimum level of protection (EUR 20,000), depositor co-insurance, types of depositors, instruments and currencies to be covered, nature of coverage, status of branches from EU and non-EU countries, the compensation period and information to depositors. The directive does not provide for the harmonization of the financial and administrative structure of the deposit guarantee schemes, Romania being free to choose from a wider range of options. The second part examines the legal environment of deposit protection in Romania. The third part identifies the measures to be taken by the Romanian authorities in order to fill in the remaining regulatory gaps in the area of deposit insurance. Finally, the fourth part contains the conclusions.

Keywords: deposit guarantee schemes, deposit insurance legislation, finance

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