When a country joins the European Union, the way its bilateral relations with EU peers function alters overnight. Bulgaria's case was no exception.
"A lot of [foreign policy] issues previously done on a bilateral level are now being done on a multilateral level, within the EU framework," Austria's ambassador to Bulgaria said, pointing to the fundamental change in his embassy's work after Bulgaria's EU accession.
Klaus Fabjan arrived in Bulgaria exactly a year after this event, in January 2008.

"Ministers of all walks are meeting EU counterparts once every three weeks to decide on issues of their competence," Fabjan told The Sofia Echo. "Their frequent meetings make supplementary bilateral talks a formality. EU embassies in another EU country now play an accompanying, supportive role."
This task alone is voluminous per se, as Austria's presence in Bulgaria is among the most impressive. No wonder, as this country embarked on a journey eastwards early. After a short post-World War 2 recess, this Western European country launched a consistent policy of rebuilding ties with Central and East European (CEE) states.

With Bulgaria, in particular, this process began in the 1960s and resulted in bilateral co-operation agreements in most major spheres.
Hand-in-hand went Austrian business' gradual penetration of the country.

"So by the time the communist regime collapsed, Austria was more prepared to open to CEE than any other Western European state," Fabjan said as one explanation of Austria's tangible presence in the region. "Many Austrians already knew the way Bulgarians' minds ticked, had the personal connections, how the country operated, so it was easy."

A score of bilateral scientific and cultural projects also are documented on the ambassador's shelves. Some of them evolved into a tradition such as the Viennese Ball or the Austrian Music Weeks. Hundreds of Bulgarian students have opted for higher studies in Vienna, Fabjan said.
And Bulgaria has long had its Vienna Club in Sofia and Cultural Institute in Vienna.

The real boom in Austrian business interest, however, came after a period of caution. Companies waited until Bulgaria had exited the worst phase of the transition period, the subsequent 1995/97 crisis and the year after started "expansion for real".
The ambassador believes that Bulgaria's accession to the EU and the opportunity to work under common rules will result in a secondary wave of Austrian investments and a boost in trade turnover.

Presently, Austria is the largest long-term investor in Bulgaria. About 360 companies from this country of 8.3 million people have permanent operations here, of which 30 run production facilities.
Alongside bilateral give-and-take, Fabjan has the duty to follow developments in Bulgaria and communicate Austria's position on issues of common concern. Of interest to Austria is the political decision-making process of Bulgarian authorities. So are reforms: to spearhead transformation into a full-fledged market economy, to cut bureaucracy and to boost judicial efficiency.

To Fabjan, reforms in these fields are essential. Austrian business people name them as deterrents for doing business locally.
The ambassador also tracks Bulgaria's progress in reinstating itself "as the regional hub for energy flows, be they gas, oil or electricity".
Turning to foreign policy issues, Austria has singled out Bulgaria as the stabilising factor in a "region with a very turbulent history".
"It remained the Balkans' haven of political stability amid a Yugoslav crisis and events leading towards Kosovo's independence," Fabjan said.

It has also acted as the promoter of regional co-operation at a time when the western Balkans were testing extreme hostility. Bulgaria, as a member of the South East European Co-operation Process, a regional co-operation instrument under the auspices of the EU, showed it did actual work in this field.
"These two roles were in line with the mainstream EU policy on the region and they were duly noted," the ambassador said.

Now the focus of regional co-operation has shifted. "We follow Bulgaria's efforts in the context of Black Sea co-operation, which has become more difficult in view of the events across the Black Sea," Fabjan says.
To share Austria's example on problems Bulgarian government officials meet is of little use, he said. He argues that Austrians' mentality is different, and so are the successful solutions to common problems.

"Bulgaria has to go its own way. I have not come here to preach the gospel of Austrian experience," the ambassador said. "I prefer to see communication with Bulgarian authorities as a give-and-take. And it is."