The EU rapporteur on Bulgaria has said the country had to do more work, in an interview for the BBC cited by Bulgaria's state radio.

There is a need to boost the supervision over the fight against crime, according to Geoffrey van Orden.

Still, the accession treaty has already been ratified by 15 member states, and there is no reason to put off Bulgaria's full membership, the official has said.

Van Orden pointed out that the EU has been monitoring Bulgaria and Romania more strictly than the previous entry-aspirants, and has to make a fair decision on whether the neighbours enter the bloc next year.

Sofia and Bucharest are aimed at gaining full membership on January 1, 2007.

But Bulgaria's awkward fight against crime and high-level corruption, as well as the pending reforms in the justice system, threaten to delay the entry by a year.

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