Target date set for January 1

Bulgaria's chances of joining the EU on January 1 are somewhat improved, according to an EU official who recently praised the country's progress on various reforms.

EU justice and home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini said recently, “I am a bit more optimistic after my last visit here. I see concrete progress...Bulgaria is on the right track. Now the key word is implementation.”

Both Bulgaria and neighboring Romania are scheduled to join the 25-member bloc at the start of next year. However, the European Commission will issue a final report next month in which it could still recommend the postponement of the two countries' EU entry by a year.

Meanwhile, entry negotiations with two other candidate countries, Turkey and Croatia, formally began last October. And, while negotiations with Croatia may be concluded within a few years, those with Turkey are expected to take considerably longer.