The European Commission will launch punitive procedures against Bulgaria because of the country's delay to carry out several recommendations, Bulgarian Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said on Monday at a debate on the new EU Reform Treaty.

The problems which Bulgaria still has not solved are the garbage crisis in Sofia, the delay in the preparation of a list of the protected areas to be included in the NATURA 2000 network, the unified European emergency number 112 and the biometric data documents.

The decision for the punitive measures will enter into force on Wednesday after the weekly meeting of the European Commissioners.

The legal measures against Bulgaria will be imposed only if the country does not show strong determination to carry out the EC recommendations, Kuneva explained.

Speaking on the new European Union Reform Treaty, Kuneva said it is absolutely possible. The commissioner participated in a debate dedicated to the draft treaty in Sofia.

The debate, organized by the Open Society Institute, the Center for Liberal Strategies, the EC Representation to Bulgaria and the Center for Culture and Debate "The Red House", went under the motto "Why the EU needs the Reform Treaty".

In her opening address, Commissioner Kuneva put an accent on the fact that the new Reform Treaty sets standards and rules and it does not "dress in any way the legislative systems of the member states in a straitjacket".

The European Council will come to a united position on the new EU Reform Treaty, which will guarantee the efficiency in decision making and will help in the joint solving of the common for all EU member states problems, Kuneva said.

There was much debate in the recent days as to the merits of the new Reform Treaty and how it compared to the Constitutional Treaty.

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