The European Union (EU)'s possible decision to delay Bulgaria's scheduled 2007 accession into the bloc would hamper the country's law enforcement and thus pose a setback for the country's reforms, Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev said on Monday.

Bulgaria has gone through "a very painful transition " to meet the EU requirements, and if the EU delays Bulgaria's entry or attaches special conditions "it would send a signal that the changes that have been made are not appreciated," Velchev said.

Speaking to reporters, Velchev said the Bulgarian government had been tackling the issues of organized crime and corruption, stressing that "there are a number of corrupt magistrates in Bulgaria, but the country's judicial system as a whole is not corrupt."

Bulgaria, along with Romania, signed accession pacts on April 25, 2005, to join the EU, on the tentatively scheduled date of January 1, 2007.

However, the pacts also contain clauses, under which the two would-be members are required to demonstrate a commitment to implement reforms within a given period, or their accession will be postponed by one year.

The EU's executive Commission has highlighted graft and crime as the key stumbling blocks to Bulgaria's 2007 accession bid and asked it to amend its constitution again to strengthen judicial independence in its bid to join the EU.

The Balkan country amended its constitution in late March, but the EU said the country should make further amendments to strengthen judicial independence.

The European Commission is expected to recommend on May 16 that Bulgaria, along with Romania, join in 2007.

Source: Xinhua