The EU investigator, who fell out with Bulgaria's interior minister over a damning report on Sofia's crime fighting efforts, said the European Commission report was very close to his recommendations.

Klaus Jansen was sent on a Brussels mission to Bulgaria to report on the fight against organised crime and corruption ahead of Sofia's EU entry next year. The highly critical report, which slammed Bulgaria's efforts to cope with organised crime as chaotic, triggered the indignation of Interior Minister Rumen Petkov.

"I would recommend that the people, who are responsible, go thoroughly through the report and take those things seriously," Klaus Jansen, a top German justice official, told the national radio a day after the keenly awaited report of the EU executive was issued.

Taking up a question about the EC criticism over the lack of qualified human resources, Jansen said: "This is not what I said."

"The law-enforcement services have the professional tools and skills but it is an issue of dedication and right professional approach," he said, adding that it is the whole society that should stand up against organized crime.

The European Commission knows very well how to choose its experts and monitoring methods, Klaus said, referring to the criticisms of Bulgarian authorities that the experts come here for a short period of time.

"I would recommend Interior Minister Petkov to go back to his actual work and wish Bulgaria the best of luck," Jansen concluded.

The crucial progress report of the European Commission showed that tangible results in the fight against organised crime and high-level corruption are among the key prerequisites for Bulgaria to become a EU member state.

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