The European Commission warned Bulgaria and Romania on Tuesday that their entry into the European Union could be put off by a year until 2008 unless they step up the fight against corruption and speed up reforms, Reuters reported. In an annual progress report, the EU executive said the two Balkan states must act urgently to eliminate high-level graft, beef up controls of their porous borders, improve food hygiene standards and strengthen their administrations and courts. They should also speedily set up institutions to pay out billions of euros in EU aid, which the countries need to upgrade economies impoverished by decades of communist rule before 1989. "Bulgaria and Romania have achieved significant progress so far in the preparations for accession. But the jury is still out," said Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. The Commission will recommend in April or May next year if the 1-year delay in accession is needed. The possibility of postponement is envisaged in the accession treaty that Bulgaria and Romania signed in April. The two countries vowed to step up preparations for EU membership, saying they would do all they could to join the 25-nation bloc in Jan. 1, 2007.
