Bulgaria’s  EU entry would make the union even stronger, head of the European Commission (EC) delegation to Bulgaria Dimitris Kourkoulas said.

Kourkoulas presented to a press conference the latest EC monitoring report on the country’s readiness to become EU member. The report was made public on September 26 and recommended Bulgaria’s EU entry on January 1 2007 without the introduction of safeguard clauses.

According to Kourkoulas Bulgaria achieved progress in some of the fields that were criticised in the previous EC report.

Still, Bulgaria’s judicial system had to have guaranteed independence and transparent procedures, Kourkoulas said. Food quality and safety control was also needed.

Kourkoulas said that EC would monitor the proper utilisation of European structural funds. Such measures were introduced to all new EU members, he said. 

If misuse was found, Bulgaria would be deprived of some funding or would have to return some of the money received, Kourkoulas said.

Bulgaria would have to present a report on its progress in the key critical fields in March 2007.