In its September 26 monitoring report on Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession readiness the European Commission would recommend January 1 2007 as the entry date for the two countries, which however would be deprived of some EU funding, Reuters news agency reported.

Some of the most critical conditions ever would be applied to the EU entry of the two countries, the report said.

Brussels has been sending controversial messages concerning this enlargement phase, amid enlargement fatigue and negative public opinion, Reuters reported.

The strict conditions to be applied aimed to guarantee that both Bulgaria and Romania would be able to fulfill their membership duties. Both countries have been blamed for the inability to cope with widespread corruption and organised crime, the report said.

If Bulgaria and Romania failed implementing some reforms, they might be excluded from participation in various common European policies, Reuters said. In addition the countries could be deprived of some EU funds for agriculture and regional development.

At the same time EU entry was expected to aid economic growth in both countries. The levels achieved already were remarkable, Reuters said.