ROMANIA/BULGARIA: As Romania's press and politicians fret over today's report from Brussels on its bid for EU membership, few people on the streets of Bucharest can suppress a snigger, or a weary sigh, at the thought of joining the bloc next January.
Though the country of 23 million has overtaken neighbouring Bulgaria in the race to be ready for accession in 2007, most people here are still frustrated by levels of corruption and poverty that they did not believe the EU would tolerate in a member state.
"I would like Romania to be a member and it would be better for the country, but I don't see how it's possible," said Edit Szekely (33).
"I think the EU will postpone membership or at least they should postpone it," she added. "There's still so much to be done."
Drafts of today's EU report on Romania and Bulgaria have suggested that both countries have work to do if they are to swell the club to 27 members next year.
But while Bulgaria is criticised for failing to fight corruption and pervasive organised crime, Romania's outstanding tasks appear less weighty, and mostly involve developing ways and means to properly disburse billions of euro in EU funding.
Since ousting the former communists in elections in late 2004, president Traian Basescu and his government have indicted several former top politicians on graft charges and implemented most of the reforms demanded by Brussels.
But few Romanians offer unalloyed praise for their leaders or their country.
"As a Romanian I want to see us join, but as regards Romania's readiness I have serious doubts," said Razvan Stugaru (28), a Bucharest risk assessor.
"Preparations for accession have been a big disappointment, we still have economic problems and 100 per cent corruption. We need to invest more in our economy and our agricultural sector is a mess."
While Bulgarian and Romanian officials have played down fears that tens of thousands of workers would head westward next year, many people here are already planning to leave.
"It's important to join the EU so we can travel and study and work abroad more easily," said Mihaila Dinu (18), an economics student.
"It's better to work abroad and lots of people will go because the pay and conditions are better," she said.
"And even if Romania doesn't join next year, I will still try and leave the country," Ms Dinu added.
Though low land, labour and taxation costs in Romania and Bulgaria are attracting major foreign investment to both countries, the benefits of increasing integration and the promise of EU membership have touched the lives of a minority.
"It's obvious Bulgaria is a long way behind the top EU states and some people think our country doesn't deserve to join the Union," said chemist Milena Radulova (34) in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.
Builder Ivo Stefanov (29) added: "There's no sensible European who wants us in the EU," echoing widespread concern over the power of Bulgarian mafia groups.
"They probably don't have the will to tackle graft and crime but they also don't have the capacity, which is worrying," Krassen Stanchev, of Sofia's Institute for Market Economics, said about Bulgaria's leaders.
Opinion polls in both Balkan states show strong support for EU membership, despite widespread scepticism on the street and growing rivalry at government level.
"Each of the two countries has in turn tried to handle accession proceedings on its own when it felt the other represented a burden, by saying 'we did our homework, but our neighbour is slowing us down'," said Mircea Kivu, a Romanian sociologist.
Miroslava Yanova, a Bulgarian political scientist, said the rivalry between the two countries is "at the elite and press level. Public opinion does not care about it and Bulgarians, regardless of their level of education, continue to doubt their country will join the EU."
In two former communist states that have endured a torrid transition to democracy and the free market, most people have learned to hope for the best, while remaining braced for disappointment.
"The government should have done more to curb corruption and improve our living standards," said Bucharest pharmacist Victoria Stanescu (53).
"I'm confident we'll join in 2007, but I doubt we deserve it," Ms Stanescu said.