The European Union, frustrated with Bulgaria's failure to tame rampant corruption and crime, told Sofia today not to slow down reform efforts before its parliamentary election in July, Reuters reported. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Brussels wanted to see results before the summer, when the 27-member bloc is due to issue a report on progress made by the Balkan country's unpopular government. Last year, the bloc punished Bulgaria for failing to convict corrupt officials and put crime bosses behind bars by freezing millions of euros of EU aid. Recent polls show 80 percent of the 7.6 million population want the government to quit because of persistent corruption and the economic crisis. "The priority now is to maintain the momentum of reforms during the election period," Barroso told a news conference in Sofia, where he was attending an energy security summit. "The reform process must continue at full speed so that we can see results before the summer."
