Five years have elapsed since Bulgaria joined the EU. This country became part of the bloc on 1 January 2007. On this occasion Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nickolay Mladenov drew up some stocktaking about the benefits of accession. “Bulgaria’s accession to EU five years ago was not simply a success; it came to prove that we want and are able to live in a different way”, he stated and went on to say that five years later we can go back in time and see that we have changed fewer things than the intended, but still more than most people ever expected.
“In a political perspective Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union has definitely consolidated democracy in this country. In international terms it has added to Bulgaria’s prestige”, Minister Mladenov said. “We had the opportunity to join the making of policies that we had previously been the subject of. In economic terms the country has become part of the world’s biggest market where goods, capitals, services and people move freely. Put in figures this implies access to the markets of 26 other countries and 500 million consumers. With accession, the Bulgarians became EU citizens, and respectively, their expectations from the Bulgarian state increased. During those 5 years Bulgaria has achieved good coordination for working out positions ensuing from EU membership. This country has probably got the smoothest mechanisms for decision-making on European law enforcement.”
Currently Bulgaria is among the top five EU countries with a view to the implementation of the European directives in national law. No lawsuits have been lodged against it for failure to perform obligations at the EU Court, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister added. “In the period from 1 January 2007 until 10 January 2012, the total of 235 procedures opened against Bulgaria for failure to perform obligations derived from EU law. Of them 181 have been closed officially by the European Commission following measures taken by Bulgaria. Of the remaining 54 procedures that are still open, only 2 have proceeded to the courtroom phase”, Minister Mladenov explained.
“During its first five years as a EU member state Bulgaria took part and will continue taking part in the decision-making process in the Union’s institutions. So far, as a country, we have joined the discussion and adoption of more than 500 directives, more than 3000 regulations and more than 200 resolutions. Steps have been made for the incorporation into Bulgarian law of more than 2200 European Union directives.”
Talking to Radio Bulgaria, Nickolay Mladenov commented some speculations on the EU chances of survival in the long term in the context of the economic crisis in Europe and of the fact that an ever growing number of countries have failed to service their debts. Minister Mladenov however is convinced that in spite of the debt crisis, the European Union is still the most preferred example globally:
“I know for sure that the EU will survive in the long term”, he said. “And this is because there are a few pillars of paramount importance not only for the countries that are now in the throes of a crisis – to be able to deal with it. These pillars are also key for all other countries to make them able to develop competitive economies. In the first place this is the single market. This market and the environment of free movement of people, goods and services in Europe are the major drivers of the continent’s growth and development in the aftermath of World War II. The second pillar is in that Europe continues to be the biggest market globally and on top of that, one of the most innovative economies worldwide. We should keep in mind that the advantages that Europe has got, compared to other parts of the world, are still quite substantial. And as to the third pillar – let us look at what has been happening across the world. Despite the debt crisis in Europe there is no other model apart from the European Union able to inspire such a desire to be followed across the globe. Everybody is keen to look like the European Union and, in contrast, no one wants to be like the Eurasian Union.”
Next week the government intends to inform the Bulgarian parliament in detail about the course of discussions and commitments made by Bulgaria with regard to the EU fiscal pact for exiting the crisis. Nickolay Mladenov summed up the Bulgarian position as follows: it is ‘YES’ to Europe’s fiscal discipline, and ‘NO’ to the restrictions on the national economic policy.
Translated by Daniela Konstantinova
