Bulgaria and Romania were not expected to beat organised crime and corruption the day they joined the European Union in January 2007. But they have made so little progress that their failure is becoming an embarrassment for the EU.

Two contract killings in Bulgaria this month are a harsh reminder of reality in a country that has recorded 120 unsolved gangland-style murders since 2001. The resignation of Rumen Petkov, interior minister, after meeting suspected crime bosses, confirmed a dismal picture. In Romania, the position is better. Corruption, not organised crime, is the main issue; EU-mandated anti-graft reforms have been delayed by political machinations.