Bulgaria’s chance to become EU member on time in the beginning of 2007 is high, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said. Schuessel met Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, who was on a two-day visit in Vienna. Bulgaria can rely on Austrian support, when it comes to the country’s EU membership, Schuessel said.
A significant sign of political support would be the ratification of Bulgaria’s accession treaty before the issuing of the next European Commission report on the country’s progress, Stanishev said. Bulgaria would inform Austria regularly about the specific steps the government is undertaking to meet EU requirements, said Stanishev. During his stay in Austria the Bulgarian prime minister will also meet the head of the Social Democratic Party of Austria Alfred Gusenbauer, Dnevnik newspaper reported.
At the same time Bloomberg agency reported that the EU might delay Bulgaria and Romania’s accession by one year due to the ineffective fight against corruption. According to the latest opinion polls 48 per cent of all Europeans support Bulgaria’s membership.