European Parliament members asked the European Commission on April 23 2009 to draft special reports by July 15 2009 on the management of EU funds in Bulgaria and Romania, amid worries over judicial standards and organised crime, EUobserver said.

Expressing "serious concern" over the financial interests of EU taxpayers, the parliament requested "zero tolerance" in cases of misuse of EU money, fraud and corruption, Euobserver said.

It came after the European Parliament gave its approval to the EC's overall accounts for 2007's report, that was adopted by 431 votes in favour and 46 against.

Euobserver quoted German MEP Markus Ferber who said: "We ask for this special report in order to underline that the only means of pressure we have is to freeze the funds,".

Another German MEP, Ingeborg Grassle, a member of the budgetary control committee, said that "eagerness for reform in both countries is very tempered. But in Romania, the situation is worrying because it is getting worse. The government needs to step up the reforms and this special report will keep the pressure on them."
Bulgaria and Romania, joined the EU in 2007 and since then have been under EC's scrutiny via a "co-operation and verification mechanism" which monitors reforms in justice and home affairs.

In 2008 the EC froze 500 million euro of EU funds for Bulgaria and 142 million euro for Romania based on the two countries' problems in absorbing the funds.

Although the EC never officially linked the freezing of the money for Bulgaria and Romania with justice reforms, the EC sent parliament a document on April 8, stating that "releasing funds is of course dependent on the evolution of the legislative and judiciary environment and on the progress on the specific action plans" EUobserver said.

Commission spokesman Mark Gray declined to say if the executive will take up parliament's request for special reports, EUobserver said.