Germany was threatening to postpone Bulgaria and Romania's EU entry by one year, The Guardian reported.

Concerns arose over the ability of the union to function properly once it accepted new member states, the publication said.

Bulgaria and Romania still had problems to overcome to be ready for EU entry, German president Horst Kohler said. Some of the problems in the judicial systems of the two countries persisted. In addition they still failed to implement efficient anti-corruption measures, Kohler said.

Germany was one of the five countries which have not ratified Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession treaty yet, The Guardian reported. The procedure has not ended in Belgium, Denmark, France and Ireland, as well.

Recently German officials said they would wait for the final European Commission report on the readiness of the two countries to become members before launching the ratification procedure.

The EC is expected to evaluate reforms and give its entry date recommendation for the two countries on September 26. Despite criticism the EC could approve the entry on January 1 2007, The Guardian reported.

Germany and Austria were mentioned in the publication's report as the two EU countries affected most by enlargement fatigue. According to officials the entry of the two countries was going to increase worryingly the inflow of migrant workers.