Ruse Horse

The President of France Jacques Chirac has sent a letter to his Bulgarian counterpart in support of the country's entry into the EU. It came along another letter from overseas, sent by US President George W. Bush who is also supportive of the Black Sea's accession to the bloc. The Bulgarian state of 7.7 million is struggling to convince Brussels before a September deadline that it can crack down on rampant corruption and be ready to join on January 1, 2007 In a letter to Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, French President Jacques Chirac said he thought it and its northern neighbour Romania could avoid a one-year delay Brussels has threatened to impose if they are not ready. "France is confident Bulgaria and Romania will be able to fulfil the last needed improvements to meet the requirements for the countries' EU accession on January 1 2007," Chirac wrote in excerpts of a letter provided by the Presidency. The office said it received the letter a few days earlier but only released it on Friday. Both accession states were in a position to achieve the "final necessary progress" towards EU integration, Chirac has written in the letter. The French president described an action plan decided on by the Bulgarian government designed to prepare the country for EU membership as "important and positive." The latest European Commission report of May 16 criticized Bulgaria for lack of progress in reforming its judicial system and in tackling organized crime and corruption. A new EU progress report in the autumn is expected to determine the readiness of the two Eastern European states for membership of the bloc.

Ruse Chirac Lines up for Bulgaria in EU