Extremely tough are published on Thursday by The Times and The Independent, referring to Romania and Bulgaria on one hand, and the European Commission, on the other. The newspapers say the reports are a lot less critical than they should have been, the articles read.

"How many murders of Bulgarian politicians would it take to get the European Commission to publish a truly critical report?", asks The Times. "Yesterday’s “progress statement” on Bulgaria and Romania - which reveals just how little progress they have made on corruption and criminality - is remarkable for its deliberate mildness", the article continues.

On its turn, The Independent notes that " Romania and Bulgaria are fighting alarming levels of lawlessness with contract killings, criminal mafias and corruption still plaguing the eastern European members of the European Union.

That was the verdict yesterday of a six-month progress report from the European Commission, raising doubts about how qualified the two newest EU members are to belong to the continental club".

Still, The Times appreciates that Romania is doing a little better than Bulgaria, given the fact that "if you reckon that mere corruption is preferable to Bulgaria’s ceaseless saga of murders of prominent figures".