SOFIA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian leaders Wednesday expressed their shock at the European Union's decision of depriving Bulgaria of its access to 220 million euro in subsidies for the Balkan country's failing to adequately tackle corruption.

    In an unprecedented move, the European Commission, EU's executive arm, decided Tuesday to strip Bulgaria of 220 million euro EU funding, which come from the EU's PHARE program, effectively declaring that the country was too corrupt and prone to fraud to receive them.

    The EC froze 825 million euros in farm, road and regional development subsidies in July amid concerns of possible fraud and conflicts of interest.

    Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov said Wednesday that he saw a connection between Tuesday's decision of the EC and the 2009 European Elections.

    "I definitely believe that a trend is emerging in the context of the coming European elections in June of the following year, in which Bulgaria is the hostage in the battle between the main competitors for the winning of these elections even on a EU-wide scale," the president said while agreeing that Bulgaria's evaluation by the EC was of great importance.

    Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, who is paying a working visit in Berlin, commented on the decision by saying that sometimes the institutions in Brussels were unfair to his country.

    The PM alluded to double standards in the EU by stating that Bulgaria was not treated the same way as the other members of the union were, because the problems in his country, including corruption, were not different from the issues in the other EU states.

    Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the European funds' absorption, Meglena Plugchieva, declared that she was deeply disappointed and saddened by the EC decision, defining it as an unjust and incorrect measure, deviating form the principles of partnership and solidarity.

    Plugchieva said that Bulgaria had made "big efforts" in fighting crime and the union's decision was "not a good sign to support reforms in Bulgaria."

    However, all of Bulgaria's opposition parties demanded Wednesday that the three-way coalition government resigned because of EU's decision.

    "The government is creating anti-EU sentiments in order to cover its failure," said Ivan Kostov, former prime minister and now leader of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party, in Parliament.

    In his words, the three-way coalition government was already waging a full-fledged war against the European Commission, which was further going to damage Bulgaria's relations with the institutions in Brussels.

    Bulgaria remains one of the poorest members of the European Union and is generally listed as the most corrupt.