Nearly 82 per cent of the measures listed in the action plan for Bulgaria’s on-time EU accession were already applied, European Integration Minister Meglena Kouneva said.

Bulgaria needed to prove it was moving towards stability and pursuing its goals, Kouneva said. Officials were working in co-operation with the European Commission and were ready to react fast in case new signals were received, Kouneva said.

Kouneva presented to MPs the amount to which measures aimed at guaranteeing Bulgaria’s EU entry on January 1 2007 were implemented.

Brussels considered the harmonisation of Bulgarian and European legislation completed, Kouneva said. The creation of new administrative units and administration re-structuring were seen as adequate, said she.

Additional 81 measures needed to be enforced. Bulgaria also had to accept 16 new laws.

Kouneva said that MPs were working hard but the Council of Ministers slowed down the acceptance of new laws.