Tuesday’s report by the European Commission will issue final warnings on Bulgaria and Romania that they might fail to meet deadlines, the Financial Times says.
According to the story, the report on Bulgaria would show that the country has lost momentum in modernizing its administration.
Bulgaria and the bloc have already signed an accession treaty, but the safeguard clause it includes could delay entry by a year.
If activated, the clause would adjourn Bulgaria’s membership until 2008.
“The Commission may recommend that the Council postpone the accession of Bulgaria and Romania until January 1, 2008, if there is a serious risk of any of those states being manifestly unprepared…” reads a draft EU executive report, obtained by Reuters on Monday.
According to reports the European Commission will push the two neighbouring countries to speed up corruption fight and to improve the work of their administrative and judicial systems. Unless tackled, corruption in both countries will threaten the EU’s internal market and EU-funded programmes, reads the report.
The EU executive Commission will officially approve on Tuesday the annual progress report of Bulgaria and Romania, which will assess the implementation of the engagements they undertook in the accession negotiations.
Later in the day EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn will present the reports to the MEPs at the European Parliament in Strasburg.
The EC’s comprehensive report will not include any recommendations whether or not to use the safeguard clause.
The Commission will give Bulgaria and Romania six months to deal with shortcomings in the countries’ preparations to join the EU. It will make its final recommendation on whether the two Balkan countries should join the EU in 2007 or 2008 only in the spring next year.