Lower House approves Bulgaria and Romania's accession to EU

The lower house of Parliament has agreed to support the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union. This is the first time that the Czech Parliament voted on EU enlargement since the Czech Republic joined the Union in May 2004. The earliest possible date when Bulgaria and Romania could join the European Union is January 1 2007. None of the deputies present voted against the two countries' accession; one deputy abstained from the vote.