The delegation of the European Parliament (EP) criticized Bulgaria on Tuesday for speeding too quickly the process of accession into the European Union.

Members of the delegation addressed the government by saying that more solid ground is needed for joining the EU, and the country should not try to avoid certain steps in the process.

The EU-Bulgaria Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) held its 13th Meeting in Sofia on Monday and Tuesday. The EP delegation acknowledged Bulgaria's progress but noted the high unemployment, discrimination against minorities, conditions in public care homes, and violation of homosexuals' rights as problems that have to be addressed as soon as possible.

On Monday, the deputy foreign minister and chief negotiator with the EU, Meglena Kuneva, said that Bulgaria has the ambition to open all 29 chapters of the acquis communautaire by the end of the year.

So far, Bulgaria has opened 23 chapters. Another three, Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments, Energy, and Financial and Budgetary Provisions, are to be opened by the end of the year according to a preliminary plan. Bulgaria has requested from the EU to open talks on the remaining three chapters: Agriculture, Economic and Monetary Union and Industrial Policy, as well.

But the MPs from the EP rejected the optimistic view of Kuneva. Following a discussion on Bulgaria's progress towards accession, it was agreed that the remaining six chapters should be opened as soon as possible, but not by any fixed date.

"Bulgaria should make further progress in developing an efficient, independent and professional judiciary system, guaranteeing full respect for national and community laws," the JPC wrote in a declaration on Tuesday.

The document recommends that Bulgaria improve the operation of the institutions responsible for asylum seekers and the integration assistance mechanisms for refugees, strengthen border controls to fight the traffic in human beings, and improve aviation security in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The structural reform agenda should be fully implemented so that Bulgaria can be regarded as a functioning market economy.

The committee expressed concern at the continuous low living standards and urged the government to improve social services and assistance, and to strengthen measures against poverty and exclusion by fighting unemployment. It was recommended that the government set precise goals and create a more favourable environment for the development of an information society. It should make further efforts in reforming the privatization process, making it more transparent, especially in key sectors such as telecommunications.

Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg addressed the JPC meeting by announcing that, by the end of the year, the government will submit to the Parliament some 20 bills related to Bulgaria's accession to the EU. The prime minister said that there exists clear political will to complete the talks with the EU by 2004. "Bulgaria's wish to join the EU is not merely a result of political continuity but a major priority which is supported by the public and by the political forces," he said.

Meanwhile, the future of the enlarged EU topped the agenda at the Third Annual Conference of Bulgaria's European Institute that started on Monday. Addressing the forum on behalf of the government, Foreign Minister Solomon Passi stressed the need to urge EU enlargement in the context of the tragic events of September 11.

In a live televised statement, European Regional Policy Commissioner Michel Barnier noted that decision-making should become more democratic to ensure fair prospects for the EU and its enlargement.