Recently, the 12th Bulgarian contingent that was part of the EU operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, was welcomed back to Bulgaria. The 102 military including 13 women were awarded for professional and successful fulfillment of their duties with the Involvement in Missions Badge of the Ministry of Defense.
Even prior to its accession to the European Union, Bulgaria joined a 10-month EU operation in Macedonia. The Mission Concordia was held from March until December 2003. In 2003 it also joined the EU policing operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and in 2004, its the military one. Since 2008, Bulgaria has been represented with experts from the Interior Ministry and from the Ministry of Justice in the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo. Since 2005 it has been represented by a customs expert in the European mission in support of border control between Ukraine and Moldova. This country sent its official to the Military Police in the Civil Mission in Afghanistan back in June 2007. As part of the EU integrated rule of law mission in Iraq since July 2005, Bulgarians have organized two trainings of officials from state institutions. Since January 2006 there has been Bulgarian presence in the EU policing mission in the Palestinian Authority, since January 2008, in the EU military operation in Eastern Chad, since October 2008, in the EU observer mission in Georgia and since December 2008 in the naval military operation of the Bloc in the Gulf of Aden, Atalanta.
It is remarkable that apart from the Concordia Operation that closed in 2003, Bulgaria has been involved in all operations without interruption that speaks of lasting commitments.
Over the past year Bulgaria joined a humanitarian operation along the Libya-Tunisia border assisting the evacuation to their native countries of refugees banished by the conflict in Libya. In the course of its long and systematic involvement in EU international missions, Bulgaria has gained strong experience and has built human resources’ skills. As a result its improved expertise has been duly appreciated. This has provided this country with a worthy role in the execution of the common European foreign and security policy as well as in crisis response.
The anticipated development of the Bulgarian involvement in EU foreign missions will have to do with the reinforcement of EUPOL, the EU policing mission in Afghanistan. Recently Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov told the Third Ministerial of the Paris Pact countries that Bulgaria was ready to accept training of Afghan police. Financing for the project is expected to come under EU programmes and from partnering services.
Translated by Daniela Konstantinova
