SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS

Why do We Benefit from our EU Membership. The Opinion of a new Member State

Esteemed Mr. Prime Minister,
Esteemed Mr. Minister,
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
 
It is a great pleasure and honor for me to be together with you on the Day of Europe. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak before you. I would also like to thank fate for giving me the chance to live under two different systems. Currently I am 50. In the first 25 years of my life I lived under communism and the planned economy, in the next 25 years I am living in democracy and market economy.

They say that the past is a bridge to the future. However, to secure the stability of this bridge, we will have to tell the future generations the truth about communism. I recall that when I did my service in the army, every day they used to tell us: “Soldier, Greece, Turkey and NATO are our greatest enemies.” Today all of us belong to one family. The relations between Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Croatia, Albania, Serbia and Turkey and other Balkan countries have never been better. Centuries on end the Balkans were the symbol of wars, conflicts, terror acts, fights between neighbors and currently they are an example of a peaceful development.

When we speak about Bulgaria we should recall where we started from so that we can understand what we have achieved. Communism in Bulgaria ended in 1989 with a total bankruptcy, including an economic one. During the bank crisis of 1996 our country was on the verge of going bankrupt once again. At the same time bombs were dropped over Belgrade and a war was raging on the territory of our neighbor. At the beginning of 1997, the banks went bankrupt, the inflation rate was 300 percent, the salaries were worth 10 US dollars and the pensions – worth four US dollars per month. At that time Bulgaria took the path to its European integration. A lot of reforms were conducted, the results are tangible, the facts are revealing. In these 15 years, not only the GDP, but also the funds allotted to education, healthcare and pensions increased three times. The industrial output increased four times. The average life span increased by seven years. The national debt then was 107 percent, today it is 18 percent. The credit rating then was “junk,” today it has stable investments prospects. Then nobody trusted the Bulgarian currency, today it is strong and stable. The foreign investments then were insignificant. However, in 2007, when Bulgaria became a full-fledged EU member state, it ranked first in terms of attracted foreign investments per capita in the world. Some time ago the banks went bankrupt, today they are among the most stable ones in Europe. Today Bulgaria is one of the three countries in Europe which fully meet the Maastricht criteria. The engine of European integration is functioning and leads to reforms, progress and development. Europe brought to Bulgaria and the region stability. And no economic growth is possible without stability.

Today on the basis of facts we can see what advantages Bulgaria has gained from its EU membership. Still the idea for a common European Union goes far beyond its economic and financial dimensions. The creation of united Europe was prompted by the peoples’ aspirations to live in peace. After World War Two we saw a drastic improvement of public welfare, which Europe had never experienced before.  Recently we may have lost focus, but Russia’s aggression in Ukraine should bring all European politicians back to our common foundation and to our genuine values.

In order to understand this specific attitude to the EU displayed by the people from Eastern Europe, we should go back in time. During a long period of time Bulgaria was artificially separated from the European family. Nevertheless the Bulgarian people did not forget their historical ideal. During the totalitarian regime Europe embodied everything we strived for – democracy, law-governed state, human freedoms, which we were forcefully deprived of.  Generations of Bulgarian patriots saw Bulgaria’s place in a united Europe, not only in terms of geographic location, but also in terms of participation in a common system of values. When we lived in a country in which the rules were valid only for a few and the communist party formed a caste, which was over and above the law, then we directed our views toward the democratic state system and the active civil society in Europe. The freedom of speech or the communist propaganda and censorship; the freedom of speech or the communist camps of death; political pluralism or prisons full of political prisoners – all these things were the signs of a civilization choice that Bulgarians were about to make. Therefore the assumption that throughout all these years the Bulgarian public considered as equal democracy, freedom and united Europe is not exaggerated.

The civil society and politics launched the initiative to conduct a remarkable historical transformation in the Balkans in the past 15 years. Thanks to its European prospects, Southeastern Europe and Bulgaria changed for the better. The Balkans – there is no other region in Europe which has undergone such a dramatic metamorphosis. After being centuries on end the symbol of wars and conflicts, today the region is on the correct path to peace and welfare.

One hundred years ago a single shot fired in the Balkans triggered World War One. The bloody military conflict made politicians reconsider war and seek ways to evade it in the future.  Although our region has always been considered one whole, centuries on end the Balkans were dramatically split by the Great Powers. 25 years ago the greater part of the region was behind the Iron curtain.  15 years ago an ethnic conflict and a horrible war was raging in Yugoslavia. Today peace is reigning in the Balkans and all countries have taken the same path – toward democracy and European integration.  

For the first time the Balkan countries are building new bridges of regional partnership and cooperation – something which is quite untypical of our political history. The willingness for European integration by building democratic countries and economic cooperation brings about a positive change.

Today we are removing borders, walls and visa restrictions in Southeastern Europe and we are building highways, railways and bridges instead, so that we can connect people and business circles. The better connected we are, the more investors will come to our region. The more enterprises are established in the region, more quickly will we take the path of sustainable development and welfare.

Dear friends,

The greatest success Southeastern Europe has achieved in the past 15 years is the stable return to the path of democratic development and the European values. We should be proud of the fact that our societies have successfully undergone a huge social and political transformation, though the Balkans are still unstable and exposed to the influences of external forces. History and geography have their importance. Today we are witnessing a Russia that has its own program for action based on a foreign policy that aims to restore its influence and the post-Soviet political space.

Meanwhile we should cherish no illusions regarding the legacy left by the Soviet Union, KGB and the communist totalitarian state. While the EU and the United States were seeking to find a political solution to the conflict, Russia annexed Crimea on the basis of an unlawful and illegitimate referendum. The conflict in Ukraine is extremely dangerous and has long-term consequences.

Instead of a modern democracy, based on values and rules, we saw military force being used in Crimea, we saw occupation, an unlawful referendum and annexation. Russia shook the foundations of European diplomacy and the understanding that in the 21st century a responsible approach should be adopted, with trust, arguments and respect for the law-governed state. Currently Russia’s actions clash with the post World War Two European order based on having the Great Powers observe the rules, on their actions being predictable, on working so as to ensure trust and to make sure that the borders in Europe are never redrawn unilaterally and using force.

Today Kremlin wants to take us back to the time when the Great Powers allocated their spheres of influence. We, the Balkans, understand this fact best because we have been victims of such an attitude more than once, above all in the 19th and 20th centuries. Russia’s new policy of exerting force is a policy typical of the past, which takes us back hundreds of years ago.  

This is the policy of the Great Powers and the periphery between them. However, the Ukrainian people should not be a periphery, it has its own country and has the right to alone determine its fate. The civil society in Ukraine and the Balkans displays a pro-European attitude. The people want democracy, a law-governed state and functioning institutions.

The solution lies in ensuring more direct democracy. The solution for Ukraine lies in conducting more free elections, not in the Great Powers reaching agreements. The Ukrainians may choose the path to a European and democratic development and I cannot imagine that this path will be banned simply on the basis of a geographic feature. It turns out that if you are a neighbor of Putin’s Russia or are in the sphere of its interests, this means that you cannot become an EU member state, although your people are willing to. I cannot understand this approach. The policy of the Great Powers vs the periphery is very dangerous for Europe. The Balkans’ past is one proof in support of this argument.

One of the lessons drawn from the Ukrainian crisis is the consequences of the systematic disrespect for the most important principles of the law-governed state. The establishment of an oligarchic economic model, the concentration of the media, the not sufficiently well-functioning state institutions, façade democracy and endemic corruption contributed considerably to the crisis in Ukraine.

Let us look at Poland and Ukraine. 25 years ago Poland had serious economic problems. Although Ukraine was richer, it chose another path. Ukraine built an economy dominated by oligarchs, endemic corruption, dependent judiciary and controlled media. When in 2012 millions of Ukrainians visited Poland, in order to watch the matches from the European football championship, they saw a different Poland – democratic, dynamic, modern, human. The Ukrainians saw the change and they wanted the same for their country.

If the crisis in Ukraine deepens, the logical question would be: “Will there be another country and which will it be?” Why do I think the Balkans can be the next ones? Because the surest way to lastingly destabilize Europe is to have weak and unstable Balkans. The Balkans can be destabilized from inside by using nationalists, oligarchs, corruption, propaganda and energy dependence. Kremlin uses the oligarchs and the media, the lack of a law-governed state and the channels of influence from the time of communism. Although it is true that the communist secret services no longer exist, their agents and networks still exist.

Therefore what is necessary today is decisive actions to restore the basis of a policy based on the law-governed state and the freedom of speech, also on the international law, not on a game played by the Great Powers and their interests. All EU member states must together come up with a common position and protect our values.     

Ladies and Gentlemen,

64 years ago Robert Shuman laid the basis of today’s united Europe in his declaration. The severe crisis called into question the future of the European project in the same way the crisis in Ukraine did. Europe could be split into a center and a periphery, into responsible and irresponsible countries, into donors and recipients. All seem to forget that solidarity and responsibility are the two sides of a coin, that everything we have achieved so far has been placed on one single card. Germany reminded us of the most important issue: if the euro fails, Europe will also fail. I would only like to add: if the process of enlargement of democracy fails, Europe will also fail.

The upcoming elections for European Parliament will be the next cornerstone which will determine the direction the EU will develop in over the next five to ten years. Whether Europe will be stronger and more united, or, on the contrary, disunited, depends on us. On the eve of the elections for European Parliament, we are witnessing nationalist and populist rhetoric that calls into question some of the European Union’s biggest achievements – the single currency, the common market, the freedom of movement, and the process of enlargement. It is our duty to prevent short-lived political interests from undermining the foundations of the European project.

Europe’s most powerful weapon is its unity and the fact that each member is important. We will not be strong if we are split into a center and a periphery and build up a Europe developing on two or more tracks. Only together can we face the contemporary challenges. If some countries regard the Balkans as the European Union’s periphery, other such as Russia think they are located at the heart of the strategic interests. We are still young democracies and if we are left without any support, the entire region is likely to be taken back in its democratic development and lose some of its biggest achievements. A second new phase in Southeastern Europe’s democratic development should be supported.

In order to ensure a long-term stability, it is not enough to establish a democratic party system with institutions and laws. Democracy cannot be taken for granted, it cannot be artificially installed and cannot be granted. This is a process of building long-term pillars of democracy. The law-governed state or the right of the powerful, objective media or media resembling propaganda machines, market or oligarchic economy, efficient institutions or power for specific people – these are the alternatives today.

The events in Ukraine showed us that we cannot possibly take peace and stability in Europe for granted. As member of the EU and NATO a country should not create a false feeling of security, because we have already seen clear signs of changes in the democratic landscape of Central and Southeastern Europe. It is only through a deep Euro-Atlantic partnership that the region will manage to protect itself from negative development. This will be achieved by the establishment of functional state institutions, an active civil society, and intensive economic and political integration in Europe.

The crisis in Ukraine and the geographic proximity to Southeastern Europe must more decisively put the issue of enlargement on the EU agenda. The Republic of Bulgaria has always been consistent in its support for the EU membership of the Western Balkan countries. It has no alternative. Southeastern Europe needs the EU’s ‘soft power’ more. A further delay in the process of the European Union’s enlargement towards the Western Balkans will render the region more vulnerable to destabilizing influences beyond the Euro-Atlantic community.

The solutions are simple. We can fight isolation and destabilization with the engine of integration. We should counteract media propaganda by offering a freedom of the media and those who can efficiently fight against nationalists are the patriots. President De Gaulle said it clearly: “Patriots are those who love their Fatherland, nationalists are those who hate the different.”

Ladies and gentlemen,

There have always been and there will always be crises. However, it is important that we are stronger after they are over. Today is the Day of Europe and we should more than ever recall the words uttered by Conrad Adenauer: “However, we should also look at the East when we think about Europe. Countries with a rich European past are part of Europe. They should also be provided the opportunity to become EU member states. Europe should be big, Europe should be strong, Europe should be influential so that it can protect its interests in the world politics.”

We should not send Europe back to the 19th century while we are preforming the roles of Great Powers and periphery, but we should direct it toward the 21st century by launching a new phase of integration to ensure a stronger EU on the global scene. Moreover we should strengthen the three EU engines – democracy, integration and market economy. We need a strong EU which can promote the idea of free elections in Ukraine. We need a strong EU that can promote the idea of peace and humane development on the global scene.

The great issue today is: will the generation that demolished the Berlin wall build new walls today, 25 years later? Walls that separate the East and the West, the periphery and the center, the Eurozone and the countries outside it, old and new, rich and old EU member states. I do hope we will enter a new phase of integration and will not build new artificial walls. Not only as President, but also as an engineer, I tell you that any wall will sooner or later be demolished.  

Thank you for your attention!