Sat, Feb 11 2012

Clive Leviev-Sawyer

Editorial: Europe and Bulgaria

Fri, Apr 10 2009 10:00 CET byClive Leviev-Sawyer 1984 Views 7 Comments
President Georgi Purvanov has named June 7 2009 as the date for Bulgaria’s European Parliament elections and, in accordance with European Union law, EU citizens resident in this country will be entitled to vote.

To do so, EU citizens have until April 27 to register, and it would seem to be the wise thing to do. While national elections are reserved for Bulgarians, EU citizens have the opportunity to participate as voters in EP and in municipal elections, and while their numbers are too few to make any real difference, the franchise at least represents some opportunity to send a signal.

As ever, of course, this newspaper will not be endorsing any political party, but will enthusiastically cheer on any progress in democracy in Bulgaria. To which it may be added, as a note of law, that while EU citizens are allowed to vote in EP elections, it is forbidden for foreign individuals or foreign state enterprises to make donations to Bulgarian political parties or campaigns in these EP elections.

It is to be hoped that this year’s election is conducted in full accordance with every aspect of the law, including those that provide heavier penalties for vote-buying, something that, no matter what claims are made, is not European practice.

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Comments

Anonymous Demosthenes (dehmosthenes@googlemail.com) Fri, Apr 17 2009 14:23 CET
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Dear Clive,

I would like to have your opinion, if it's journalistically possible (or even personally, by mail) on a question that I always kept concerning the integration of Bulgaria in the European Union.

It's clear by now that the standards of the Bulgarian Integration have brought two major developments for the country: One, it spreads the market opportunities for local corrupt forces and terror brigades (the so-called Mafia businesses) to some other countries and two, it fuels economically some of the planned development of Bulgaria's infrastructures. Although the point One was [...]

 Read the full comment extremelly successful for the Organized Crime, it is clear as well that the influence of the this individuals has caused dramatic reductions and even stoppage on the attribution of communitary funds.

All in all, the benefits have gone to the wrong side of the law, while the hard working countrymen are seeing their tobacco production reduced, the limits imposed on the Wine Producion are dreadful for the producers (who won't have a market to sell, afterall) and the Quality of Life of the Bulgarians has already started to decrease drastically since 2007 (and will so, exponentially, until 2014). With the decrease of the quality of life and the expressionism of the inflation, the Foreign Investment that we conquered in the last two years will move out of Bulgaria (because, as we all know, Bulgaria won't be a low-cost country anymore: Just a country with low wages and low quality of life).

Summing it all up, what's in there for the Average Bulgarian, non-Crime profiting to be integrated in the European Union? How will the Euro Adoption (which is wide known as an inflation exploder) provide extra for the Nation?

Just because every "civilized" country has decided to act this way, is it fair to generalize and sell cheaply this notion to the Bulgarians that "if it worked in other countries, it will work here too"?

Or the preement need for change and internal reestructurization of Bulgaria should be put first and the house should be properly cleant and arranged so that we can take the next step to the Western Culture Adoption?

I truly believe that Bulgaria has it's own resource to grow in itself before joining this train, if doing so will make us join it as a well-governed, improving country instead of the poorest, *lesser* country of the EU.

More than an economic step, it's a necessary, honorable milestone for the Bulgarian individuals to overcome their own difficulties first in order to fully profit from the EU integration.

May we please have your point of view on this? Maybe as an Opinion article, where it will do no harm to your journalistic posture.

Sincerely,
D .


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