The EU's executive commission on Wednesday cleared the final obstacle to 10 new countries entering the bloc next year, saying all would be ready to join on schedule on May 1.
But in its last report on their progress towards membership, Brussels warned of serious shortcomings in all the states which, unless resolved, will deny them the full benefits of membership.
It reserved its strongest criticism for Poland, the biggest enlargement country, singling out nine areas for urgent action to avoid forfeiting money and market access.
While the 10 accession states found cause for relief, three countries seeking membership later received mixed reviews.
The commission said failure to settle the Cyprus issue could pose a "serious obstacle" to Turkey's bid to open membership talks, rebuffing pressure from Ankara to avoid such a link.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul vowed to step up efforts to end the decades-old division of the island by May next year, when Cyprus joins the EU, but added that it should not be used to delay the opening of negotiations with his country.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen told the European Parliament the commission believed its strong political message would help Ankara face down hard-line domestic opponents to a Cyprus settlement.
Romania, seeking entry with Bulgaria in 2007, was also disappointed after failing to win outright recognition as a "functioning market economy," leaving it as the only candidate negotiating membership without the coveted status.
"We are aware of the need to continue economic reforms," Prime Minister Adrian Nastase told reporters.
"The European Commission makes clear that the objective of joining the EU in 2007 is realistic," he said.
Verheugen was upbeat about the 10 states joining next year despite criticisms, telling a news conference: "We think the result is surprisingly good. I had expected more problems."
"The Commission is confident that enlargement will take place on 1 May 2004 under good conditions," the report said.
But although it said it had not encountered any major nasty surprises, the Commission will still send warning letters to all 10 countries -- Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus and Malta -- highlighting specific shortcomings.
The report, which could have judged that some countries were not yet ready, removes the last obstacle to EU enlargement, and caps more than a decade of astonishing political and economic change in Eastern Europe since the collapse of communism in 1989.
The commission praised the extent to which acceding states had aligned themselves with EU law, but made clear it would not hesitate to apply safeguard measures to protect the EU market where new members did not meet Brussels' standards.
The commission noted 39 "gaps" in preparation for membership involving all countries which it said were of serious concern. Nine of these involved Poland, the most for any state.
The report made clear that those countries which failed to meet entry requirements would suffer, rather than the EU as a whole, if the gaps were not plugged by May 1.
They might not be able to export meat or have farm subsidies paid by Brussels.
Citing a raft of shortcomings in food safety in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Malta and Latvia, it warned that non-compliant products might meet restrictions.
It also said that if systems for paying farmers under the EU's common agricultural policy were not in place by accession day, new member states risked not being reimbursed by the EU.
The commission praised the 10 for sustained economic growth, noting that this had slowed in 2003 as a result of global uncertainty, but in general far less than in the EU.
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