European enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn is to pay a one-day visit to Bulgaria on October 14. Rehn is going to examine Bulgaria's progress on EU-related reforms, members of the European Commission (EC) delegation said.
Rehn will meet the Speaker of Parliament Georgi Pirinski, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin and European Integration Minister Meglena Kouneva. Rehn's visit takes place ahead of the release on October 25 of the EC report on Bulgaria's readiness to join the European Union. The report will address two issues. The first is progress in various areas requiring reform. These reforms have already been evaluated by various European accession institutions. The second part of the report will focus on areas where further reform is needed. This summer Bulgaria received a warning letter from the EC, saying that Bulgaria is experiencing reform delays in five major areas, which might lead to a delay in its accession,  mediapool.bg reported.