As an EU hopeful, Romania was much better than Bulgaria in promoting its assets and that helped it be perceived in a much more positive light, SNA Editor-in-Chief Milena Hristova commented for the Romanian business TV station "The Money Channel".

The Romanian TV channel approached her a couple of days after the European Commission published its keenly awaited report on the progress of Bulgaria and Romania. Hristova commented claims that Bulgaria was to blame for the decision of the European Commission not to give Romania an unconditional date for EU entry.

The two Balkan countries have been coupled in a package for the 2007 enlargement.

"Bulgaria's politicians spoke with one voice, describing the report as the best scenario Bulgaria could have received. What they failed to do was to see beyond the politeness of the Brussels officials," Hristova said, asked to comment the perceptions of the report in Bulgaria. "As for the way the report was perceived by the general public, I think the EU topic was not translated into the terms of the ordinary people."

She expressed confidence that the conditions in the report are achievable, provided that politicians go thoroughly through the report and take the recommendations seriously.

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