The European Commission spokespersons increased uncertainty over the content of the final monitoring report on Bulgaria’s reform progress to be issued on September 26.

Bulgaria and Romania’s EU entry date as mentioned in the accession treaty the two countries signed was January 1 2007. The EC was expected to confirm this date, Bulgarian National Radio reported.

During a press conference in Brussels on September 22, EC representatives said that September 25 to October 22 was very important period for the enlargement process.

The risk for either Bulgaria or Romania to be unprepared for on-time EU entry was high, EC representatives said. As a result the commission might suggest an accession delay, the national radio said.

In its previous report the EC said that a number of accession criteria were still unfulfilled. Bulgaria failed implementing efficient measures against corruption and organised crime.

The upcoming report would analyse developments in these critical areas. Based on this analysis, the EC would decide whether Romania and Bulgaria were ready for EU entry as provisionally scheduled