Over 18,000 persons have received Bulgarian citizenship in the first year in office of Vice President Margarita Popova. Of these, nearly 80 percent are ethnic Bulgarians. In this period, no application for asylum has been endorsed, shows data in the report of the Commission on citizenship and Bulgarians abroad and the Commission on granting political asylum with the Presidency for the period 23 January 2012 - 22 January 2013.

After taking office, Vice President Popova has issued 162 decrees to change the citizenship of 18,833 people. The large number is due to the accelerated processing of almost 70,000 applications delayed for nearly 10 years, said Margarita Popova. 84 decrees for acquiring Bulgarian citizenship are on the grounds of origin or parents of Bulgarian nationality, general naturalization, or article 16 of the Bulgarian Citizenship Act under which you can acquire Bulgarian citizenship if Bulgaria is interested in the naturalization of the person or if the person has a special contribution to the country. Among those who have acquired citizenship, most are from Macedonia - 8,185 people, followed by those from Moldova - 5705, Ukraine - 975, Russia - 881, Serbia - 604, Israel - 588, Albania - 491, Turkey - 147 from other countries - 505.  A total of 88 decisions were taken by Vice President to refuse to grant citizenship because of unproven Bulgarian origin of the people who want it or not enough convincing arguments for their exceptional contribution to Bulgaria. Bulgarian citizenship has been refused also to 11 individuals who made donations ranging from 50 thousand to 200 thousand leva for restoration of medieval churches and monasteries in the Black Sea cities of Burgas, Sozopol and Ahtopol in Melnik in southwest Bulgaria. 

“Citizenship is given simply and easily against a stated desire. Citizenship is belonging to my country", Vice President Margarita Popova pointed out. "And it is related to respect for rules and laws, and a willingness to abide by them. One has to be proud of the fact that he or she is a citizen and belongs to one nation, one people, one human community. Citizenship can not and should not be connected with any financial implications. They deserve respect and attention. But one should not be doing this only out of  financial considerations and without having a deeper understanding of the state as a structure, of  its laws and rules of life and existence. One should be able to acquire the nationality of a country, and at the same time be a EU citizen – this is the European project, which we have adopted as ours."

Most naturalized persons for exceptional merit and outstanding contribution to Bulgaria are 8 athletes, says the temporary chairman of the Committee for Bulgarian citizenship and Bulgarians abroad Lilyana Stankova. Among them are also an Israeli professor in dermatology and oncology and an Italian businessman who made investments in the country for more than 150 million leva and gave work to over 2,200 Bulgarians. Lilyana Stankova shares two examples:

”The first person is a modern pentathlon competitor in the Russian Federation. She was attracted to the Bulgarian national team to participate on behalf of Bulgaria at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. After being granted citizenship, the Commission requested and received feedback about this athlete from the Bulgarian Federation of Modern Pentathlon on what she has achieved. So we are confident that we have given citizenship under Art. 16 of the Act to a worthy competitor in modern pentathlon. The second person who redceived citizenship on the same basis is Professor Alkalay from Israel. He has tremendous merit in Bulgaria in the field of science. He works in the field of dermato-oncology. In support of the proposal to give him citizenship, we received letters from many leading Bulgarian specialists, dermatologists, all of whom unanimously emphasized his great merits as an Israeli scientist for the advancement of Bulgarian science." 

Vice President Margarita Popova also said that together with President Rosen Plevneliev, they set up two committees – a committee on Bulgarian citizenship and Bulgarians abroad and a committee on offering asylum to that the applications might move much faster now on administrative path.

English version: Rossitsa Petcova