Bulgaria The Road to EU Membership

Before Bulgaria: Thracians 5 B.C.

• Mercenaries were high in demand because were known for being the most ferocious fighters

• Downside of Thracians: Tended to switch sides during war

• Spartacus was a Thracian enslaved by the Romans

Bulgaria…

• Is the oldest state in Europe (1300 years)

• Established in 681 AD

• Was extremely prominent – But fell after two decades– Rose again and fell after

another two decades

The Flag of the 1st Republic of Bulgaria

The Expansion and Decline

893-927 AD 1218 -1241 AD Today

The 1st Empire The 2nd Empire Republic of Bulgaria

Interesting Facts

• Bulgaria is the only country to save entire Jewish community from Nazi camps

• 82% Eastern Orthodox

• Communist Bulgaria or the “Peoples Republic of Bulgaria” was from 1944-1989

• Protestant and Roman Catholicism are both less than 1%

• Bulgaria Has the slowest population growth of any country Since the 1950’s (with exception to two small islands)

European Union

• European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) – 1951

• Consisted of six members: Belgium, West Germany, Luxembourg, France, Italy and the Netherlands

• European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the European Economic Community (EEC) – 1957, Treaties of Rome

• The three institutions merged in 1967• Maastricht Treaty created the European Union

(EU) – 1992

European Union

Consequences

• Remove all the barriers to trade

• Greater mobility of EU citizens

European Union

• In 1992 the EU decided to go for economic and monetary union (EMU)

• Introduction of a single European currency managed by a European Central Bank

The Euro became a reality on

January 1, 2002

European Union

Expansion• Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined

in 1973 • Greece joined in 1981• Spain and Portugal in 1986 • Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995 • Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary,

Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia in 2004:

Requirements to join the EU

The Copenhagen Criteria, June 1993, requires that:

• State have the institutions to preserve democratic governance and human rights,

• Functioning market economy,

• State accept the obligations and intent of the EU.

Excerpt From the Copenhagen Presidency conclusions:

"Membership requires that candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and, protection of minorities, the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union. Membership presupposes the candidate's ability to take on the obligations of membership including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union."

Commission of the European Communities

• Monitoring reports every year from 1998

• Last one was on September 26, 2006 when the Commission approved the Monitoring report on the state of preparedness for EU membership of Bulgaria

In The Case of Bulgaria

Highlights from last monitoring report, suggesting immediate action on:

• Justice system• Fight against corruption, police cooperation and the fight

against organized crime,• Money-laundering, integrated administrative control

system for agriculture (IACS),• Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), • Financial control

In September, the commission concluded progress in each one of these areas

"The EU says it practices equality, but some countries are more equal than others," Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico complained.

EU Concerns with Bulgaria

• Bulgaria (along with Romania) are being admitted under the toughest terms ever imposed by the EU

• Both report back every six months to prove continued progress in:– Cracking down on organized crime– Money laundering– Improving justice– Making food and aviation safer

EU Concerns with Bulgaria

• Of the 15 core EU members, only six have eased work force restrictions– Britain, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden

• The nine other countries, where unemployment runs high, fear the influx of cheap labor– Germany and France

• Spain faced similar scrutiny when it joined in 1986– Spain’s restrictions were eventually lifted

Disadvantages Expressed from Bulgarians

• Negative expectations are mostly associated with:– 81% possible strong competition

by imported goods – 68% over influence of foreign

capital on the Bulgarian economy– 38% loss of some traditional

Bulgarian characteristics and virtues

– 31% lower national self-confidence

“This is the genuine and final fall of the Berlin Wall for Bulgaria”-Sergey Stanishev

Political Benefits

• Bulgarian representation in EU institutions

• No boundaries or visas

• Free transfer of persons

Economical Benefits

• Free transfer of goods, services, & capital

• Higher consumer and producer surplus

• Euro as common currency

• Increased specialization

Social Benefits

• Implement European standards in:– Safety of citizens– Job safety– Health– Education– Information– Quality of life

How Expansion Meets EU Objectives

• Peace- Prevention of another WWII

• Safety & Security- Efforts against terrorism

• European & Social Solidarity- Expanding market & trade- Support system

• European Model of Society- Tackling social problems

- Acquis Communautaire

Additional Benefits

• Mobility- Schengen Agreement

• Ability to compete with the United States• Political & economic clout

"Size matters. The EU needs as many countries as possible which share our values to help us tackle the serious challenges of our age."

- Graham Watson, Group leader in the European Parliament for the Liberals and Democrats (ALDE)

What does Bulgaria offer?

• Bridging the East-West Gap• Cheap Labor

- Lowest per capita GDP in the EU

• Property

- Black Sea Access

Win-win!