Bulgaria’s European Year

published on 1/4/10 1:17 PM

Аlready three years have passed since Bulgaria became a full member state of the EU. For many Bulgarians this was a dream come true, but the initial enthusiasm of others was cooled off by reality. What was the European year 2009 for Bulgaria?

It was, most of all, a year of efforts for regaining the lost trust of Brussels because of the country’s failure to fight corruption and organized crime. It was also a year during which the process of integrating Bulgaria within EU structures continued. After three years of full membership, the option of safeguard clauses applied by the EU to Bulgaria was finally annulled on January 1, 2010. However, the mechanism of collaboration and control applied by the European Commission towards Bulgaria and Romania in the field of interior affairs and justice remains in force, simply as a stimulus for the country not to slow down reforms.

For the European Union itself, the past year was extremely important. The year started with the rotational presidency of the Czech Republic that was unsuccessful according to many analyzers, it continued with the Swedish presidency, and culminated the end of November with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by all EU Member States. This enabled European leaders to elect a permanent chairman of the Council (president) and a High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security (Foreign Minister) – new positions created by the Treaty. The next step was for national governments to nominate their applicants for the new Commission.

Bulgaria’s Parliament was one of the first to approve the Treaty. After a long delay, the Czech Parliament was the last to ratify it in November and since December 1, 2009, the European Commission has had a new constitution in force. According to the Lisbon Treaty, Bulgaria will receive one more seat in the European Parliament, thus raising the total number to 18 seats. The most important thing, however, is that the Treaty allows for a group of countries (1/3 of the member states) to block any EU directive in case they disagree with it and thus prevent its approval. Thus, Bulgaria can defend its positions in the EU better and negotiate with smaller member states on certain issues in order to protect their interests in case they feel threatened.

The elections for European Parliament held in the beginning of June 2009 went without noticeable interest on the part of voters and an unprecedented low voter turnout. Bulgaria was no exception. The elections for MEPs (members of the European Parliament) ended with a victory for right-wing parties followed by the Socialists. On September 16, the new members of the European Parliament re-elected José Manuel Barroso as President of the European Commission, which was not surprising due to the lack of rivals.

On November 27, Barroso announced the list of new members of the European Commission, which is to be approved by the MEPs. In the distribution of sectors, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Rumiana Zheleva who was the Bulgarian applicant for EU Commissioner was given the International Co-operation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response portfolio. Her work will involve close collaboration with Cathrine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs. Rumiana Zheleva’s hearing in the European Parliament will be held on January 12.

The past year will remain in the history of the European Union with yet another major event. During its presidency, the Czech Republic hosted a summit on starting the initiative of Poland and Sweden – the Eastern Partnership (EaP). On May 7, the heads of state and government and officials from the six post-Soviet republics of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, EU officials and heads of the new Member States held a meeting in Prague in order to raise their relations to a new level by creating the Eastern Partnership. Bulgaria was an active participant in drawing out the major positions of the EU in this initiative. The participants in the meeting reached an agreement that the Eastern Partnership (EaP) will be based on commitment to the principles of international law and on fundamental values including democracy, the rule of law, the respect for human rights and basic freedoms as well as market economy, sustainable development and good governance. Several months later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov stated that Russia does not exclude the possibility of joining the initiative – a statement that was positively received by the European Commission.

The end of the year brought to an end the Swedish rotational presidency of the EU. On January 1, 2010, it was taken over by Spain and the government in Madrid has already drawn out its major priorities – finding a way out of the economic crisis, implementing the clauses of the Lisbon Treaty, promoting the EU as a global player, solving the conflict in the Near East, invigorating the relations with Latin America, and promoting a more active participation of the citizens of the 27 Member States in devising the policies of the EU.

English version: Rossitsa Petcova

По публикацията работи: Dimitar Ushev

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Bulgaria’s European Year

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