(SOFIA) - Bulgaria played down scathing criticism from the European Commission on Wednesday over its failure to curb corruption and crime, as it regretted the freezing of EU funding.

"Let us not chastise ourselves... Bulgaria has had some serious successes after one year of (EU) membership," Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev told a televised press conference in the Black Sea city of Varna.

Stanishev said the European Commission had welcomed the setting up of the State Agency for National Security (DANS), as well as structural and personnel changes within the interior ministry and the appointment of a new deputy prime minister to oversee the management of EU funds.

But he blamed the critical report on "difficult communication with some parts of the commission" as well as "the haughty attitude of some of Bulgaria's low- and medium-level administration and their under-estimation of the role of the European Commission."

The European Commission significantly toned down its conclusions in its final report, presented Wednesday, compared to previous drafts of the paper. But the document nevertheless contained the harshest remarks ever levelled by Brussels towards any EU member state.

The commission also produced an unprecedented second document on Bulgaria's poor handling of EU aid and confirmed its freezing of around 500 million euros (786 million dollars) to the bloc's poorest member state.

Stanishev said he regretted the move, but acknowledged there was "some mismatch between political will and concrete results" achieved by his once-communist country.

"The truth is that Bulgaria is learning, everybody is learning, to manage EU funds, and the procedures are complicated," he said.

"Bulgaria will expect the European Commission and other EU institutions to use the same standards and the same approach towards all member states," Stanishev continued.

But he pointed out that Bulgaria would see the report as "setting an objective, a challenge to accomplish more work and lead the reforms to successful and more efficient results."

The Bulgarian judiciary's failure to implement reforms and overcome major trial delays came in for particular criticism from Brussels.

And Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev agreed: "Whatever we say now will be meaningless unless we manage to produce results over the next six months," ahead of the commission's next report.

"It will not be easy, it will not be plain... We know where we are."

Meanwhile, Bulgaria's new vice-premier for EU funds Meglena Plugchieva said the Commission had presented "a report of critical solidarity," adding that Bulgaria had already taken some of the measures mentioned in it and would continue its work.

The report said Bulgarian institutions and procedures looked good on paper but did not actually produce results, prompting President Georgy Parvanov Wednesday to urge the government to do more than just adopt laws.

"It is time to emphasise their active and uncompromising implementation."

The right-wing parliamentary opposition meanwhile demanded more radical changes, calling for the sacking of ministers and tabling a no-confidence motion against the government.

"We will not throw anyone prey to the wolves," Stanishev countered however.

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