According to prognoses both Bulgaria and Romania would join the EU on January 1 2007, but the European Commission would set some conditions.

Dnevnik newspaper quoted European Commission sources as saying that the final EC report on the two countries’ readiness to join the EU would recommend on-time accession under the introduction of strict limitations.

During a press conference Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and European Integration Minister Meglena Kouneva presented all reforms Bulgaria was trying to implement to guarantee its readiness for on-time EU entry.

Stanishev called for impartial evaluation, not affected by the negative statements in West European media.

Bulgaria still had to deal with some problems like corruption but the problem in the country was comparable to that in some other EU members, said Stanishev.

Justice commissioner Franco Frattini said that Bulgaria was going to make a big positive step through the acceptance of constitution changes, guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary. This needed to happen before the final EC evaluation, Frattini said.