The constitutional amendment procedure in Bulgaria would begin by the end of the month, members of the ruling tripartite coalition said.

Some of the priorities of the coalition, presented during the first sitting of the new parliamentary session, include measures to guarantee Bulgaria's EU entry on January 1 2007, Darik Radio reported.

The fourth set of constitutional amendments aim to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and transparency in its work.

Representatives of the National Movement Simeon II (NMSII), one of the parties in the ruling coalition, said that the amendments should also introduce financial decentralisation to the work of municipalities.

Right-wing opposition party Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) said that the coalition failed taking into consideration warnings that the changes would take away the independence of the judiciary.

In case Bulgaria's EU entry was postponed or the introduction of safeguard clauses became fact DSB was going to request a no-confidence motion, Darik reported.