In an interview for the German newspaper Bild, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said that Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession would contribute to the development of the union by opening new markets and creating investment opportunities.

Stanishev said that the EU enlargement would lead to the opening of new work places in the original EU member states and would guarantee prosperity and political stability in Europe.

After its EU accession, Bulgaria will provide 1.2 per cent of its GDP for the EU budget. Stanishev said that the union was based on the principles of solidarity and that every EU member state and especially Germany, as one of Bulgaria's most important trade partners, had interest in Bulgaria's further economic development.

Stanishev said that the country was working on reforming its state administration under the control of the European Commission. Bulgarian experts are sent on additional training in EU countries, including Germany. Bulgaria strictly observes the way Brussels funds, allocated for this project, are managed to prevent misuse.

Bulgaria is also taking active measures for effective crime fight. Stanishev said that this was the first time high-level magistrates and politicians were investigated and prosecuted. He attributed the success to the new Prosecutor-General Boris Velchev and his approach to fighting corruption.

A delay of Bulgaria's accession date would be wrong, Stanishev said. Bulgarians had been working hard for joining the EU and realised the accession was a unique chance for the country's further development, Stanishev said. Any delay of the entry would be a setback, he added. Neither Bulgaria, nor the EU would benefit from postponing the accession, provisioned for January 1 2007, Stanishev said.