Bulgaria's bid to join the European Union next year has been strongly criticized by experts sent by Brussels to assess whether the Balkan country is really cracking down on organized crime and corruption, the Los Angeles Times wrote Monday.

The article cites Klaus Jansen, a German investigator, and Susette Schuster, a German judge, who said the country's efforts to tackle organized crime were "a total mess" and judicial reforms "chaotic".

Los Angeles Times says the two reports paint a gloomy picture, "at odds with some official statements made in Brussels and other EU capitals to prepare public opinion for Bulgaria's probable accession on Jan. 1, 2007."

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