§ Baroness Coxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider extending the Know How Fund to Romania, following the forthcoming elections; and if so, whether they will make it a condition that the elections are fair, free and democratic, involving fair access to all the media for all major parties, no intimidation during voting, and no interference with ballot papers.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Brabazon of Tara)We hope to extend the Know How Fund to Romania in due course. But this will depend on a firm commitment to democratic and economic reform by the Romanian Government. We are disturbed by recent reports of violence and intimidation of opposition candidates and have urged the Romanian authorities to ensure the safety of candidates and a free and fair election campaign and poll. A group of observers from the UK arrived in Romania yesterday (16th May). We shall study their reports and those of HM Ambassador at Bucharest carefully.