Bulgaria's pre-accession negotiations with the European Union (EU) entered a higher stage and the country is no longer the passive side, Bulgaria's Euro-integration Minister Meglena Kuneva said Wednesday.

Kuneva's statement came hours before EU Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen's arrival on a two-day official visit to Bulgaria to review the progress in pre-accession reforms.

At this point, Bulgaria not only gives "reports and explanations" but also makes its own judjements, Kuneva said. The country's international status is already established, as Bulgaria will surely enter the EU 2007 at the latest, Kuneva added.

The Euro-integration minister made this comment while speaking of the meeting with Bulgarian magistrates on Verheugen's agenda. She pointed out that it was not planned to assure the European Union that there are no problems within Bulgaria's judiciary. "We are now strong enough to make our own criticism," Kuneva said.