Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg has invited President Georgi Parvanov to put his signature on Bulgarias EU Accession treaty at the ceremony on April 25 in Luxembourg.

The European Parliament has approved the admission of Bulgaria to the European Union, paving the way for the signature of EU accession treaty later this month.

On March 30, MEPs in the European Parliaments foreign affairs committee gave their backing to Bucharest and Sofias accession in 2007. Accession negotiations with Bulgaria and Romania were completed on 17 December 2004 and Treaty of Accession is now finalised.

Romania and Bulgarias target date for EU entry is January 1 2007, however Brussels has stressed that this entry date may be under threat if both countries cannot prove that reforms promised during negotiations are up to scratch.