In an interview for German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said that all countries were going to benefit from Bulgaria's accession to the union on January 1 2007.

The European Commission pointed out in its final report on the country's accession readiness that the membership of Bulgaria and Romania to the union was going to be beneficial for all, said Stanishev.

Facts presented by the EC still needed to gain popularity, Stanishev told the German newspaper.

Enlargement in 2004 produced the need for some adjustments, Stanishev said. As a result Bulgaria and Romania were subjected to unprecedented degree of scrutiny, said he.

Strict monitoring enabled Bulgaria prepare for EU membership, Stanishev said. Suddeutsche Zeitung  said that both Bulgaria and Romania were declared ready for on-time membership in the final EC report.

One of the areas that still causes concern is the slow fight against corruption. Stanishev said that corruption was not such a widespread phenomenon.

In case results in the fight against corruption and organised crime were not noticeable, the EC would have refrained from recommending on-time EU entry for Bulgaria, Stanishev said.