A compromise would not be made and Bulgaria will join the EU in January 2007 only if the reform process ends beforehand, chairman of the Bundestag parliamentary advisory committee on EU matters Matias Wismann said.

Wismann met Bulgaria's European Integration Minister Meglena Kouneva yesterday, Dnevnik newspaper reported.

Germany would initiate the ratification procedure of Bulgaria's accession treaty in April so that a decision can be taken in the autumn, Wismann said.

If the final European Commission report on Bulgaria's reform progress is positive, Bulgaria should not fear delays in the ratification process, said Wismann.

Wismann said some of the problematic areas hindering Bulgaria's accession remain agriculture, justice and the fight against organised crime and corruption. Problems persist in the sectors of minority inclusion and social integration of the Roma, as well.