Brussels - The European Union needs to stand prepared to punish Bulgaria and Romania if reports this summer show failure to curb organized crime or implement judicial reforms, according to a Dutch government official.

"Any failure by Bulgaria and Romania to make sufficient progress in remedying the shortcomings in question should have repercussions," wrote Dutch Minister for European Affairs Frans Timmermans in a letter to Jacques Barrot, the European Union's justice minister.

The letter was made public on the sidelines of Thursday's European Council summit.

Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007. However, concerns about their legal systems have required periodic reviews.

Timmermans wrote in his letter that failure to comply with EU standards could result in the invocation of certain "safeguard measures."

That could result in, for example, legal rulings from the two nations carrying no weight throughout the rest of the EU. Financial and trade sanctions are also options.

Failure to take action would damage the EU's image and make it more difficult for the EU to consider any further expansions, he said.

"There is a link between public support for enlargement - past and future - and ... the prospects of future members being able to do so," wrote Timmermans. "We believe that the EU as a whole risks losing credibility if the measures available are not applied when warranted.

Bulgaria has already forfeited hundreds of millions of euros of EU aid since 2008 over concerns that previous aid had not been disbursed properly. Romania narrowly avoided a similar punishment. (dpa)