Officials close to EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn do not rule out that next month, he could recommend delaying Bulgaria's admission by a year, BBC reported Thursday.

Still, the move would have to get the green light from all the 25 EU governments, which is very unlikely.

Romania and Bulgaria appear on track to join the European Union next year, although there are concerns over Bulgaria's failure to tackle crime, the news report reads. Last evening Rehn said his goal was that both countries should join by next January.

Both Bulgaria and Romania missed EU's big expansion into the former communist bloc in 2004. "But it seems the laggards of Eastern Europe are about to catch up - or at least, Romania is."

Rehn praised Romania's efforts in fight against crime and corruption while he told Bulgaria that urgent action was needed to deal with organised crime and high-level corruption.

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