These are some of the findings in the Eurobarometer public opinion poll held last June and commissioned by the European Commission. It suggests that Bulgarians – just like before – tend to trust more in the European institutions than in the national ones. Greatest trust is placed in the European Parliament, followed by the European Commission and the European Central Bank. Approval that comes across from Bulgarians is considerably higher than the EU average. Half of our compatriots believe that EU membership is something good.

“A positive trend in Bulgaria is that the so-called benefits from EU accession do not necessarily boil down to funds, money and financing”, sociologist Zhivko Geoergiev explains. “In the last eight months most of Bulgarians have realized that EU benefits can assume quite different dimensions, such as for example pressure for countering corruption, assistance to dealing with the problem of organized crime, etc. So, Bulgarians can see now that the key benefit from EU accession is in the chance of the country to Europeanize.”

The poll has registered a drop in pessimistic attitudes seen in the winter of 2009, and a rise in optimistic expectations for the development of the global and European economies in the short term. The Bulgarian idea about the long-term development of the EU however is more positive than the European average. The predominant part of Bulgarians believe that in 2030 life in the Community will be easier and people will enjoy more time with their families.

Mrs. Zinaida Zlatanova, head of the EC Office in Bulgaria, brings some more insights.
“Bulgarians are increasingly attached to the all-European family. This trend is supported by a range of factors including the successful all-European efforts in dealing with the natural gas crisis in the early 2009, the faith of Bulgarians that the EU has the clout to protect its citizens from the side effects of globalization and to help us adapt to the changing world. The forecast for 2030 is that the public priorities will differ from the present-day ones. The Bulgarians citizens expect that social-economic issues will no longer top the agenda. Instead environmental issues will become a top priority. This is important in the context of the forthcoming world conference on climate change due in Copenhagen. It is also interesting that positive attitudes towards the Bloc are 10% up. Information, discussions and better understanding about the essence and meaning of Europe, generate more trust at the end of the day.”

Written by: Rumyana Tzvetkova
Translated by: Daniela Konstantinova