Bulgaria's EU Foreign Affairs Minister Ivaylo Kalfin joins Monday and Tuesday counterparts from the EU in Brussels to take part in the regular meeting of the bloc's General Affairs and External Relations Council.

Relations with Russia, the Stabilisation and Association agreement with Serbia and Montenegro and the Middle East are all on the agenda.

The last point will particularly concern EU aid to Palestinians.

This week attention will be focused on Romania and Bulgaria, both waiting for a key report by the European Commission on their progress towards accession.

The EC reports are to be published on Tuesday amidst a highly charged political atmosphere as Bucharest and Sofia await their EU fate.

The commission's report is supposed to make recommendation as to whether the two countries should join the EU next year as planned. However, concerned by the lack of progress in certain areas and wanting to keep up the pressure, Brussels may yet leave a specific date recommendation out.

To keep Bulgaria in the waiting room for another few months could keep EU pressure on Sofia to step up its fight against crime and corruption, which is Brussels' greatest area of concern.

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