Some of the more difficult realities of membership of the European Union are coming home to Bulgaria.

The unedifying spectacle surrounding the National Road Infrastructure Fund, including alleged bias in the awarding of business and outright corruption, has led to a decision by the European Commission to suspend its contributions to road funding in this country pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged irregularities, and until Bulgaria shows that it has dealt with the problem adequately.

Elsewhere, there are indications, going by media reports, that the EC will take a tough line in its criticisms of Bulgaria about continuing shortcomings in dealing with organised crime and corruption when its report on justice and home affairs matters is finalised in coming weeks.

In another crucial area, environmental protection, it has become clear that Brussels expects that Bulgaria will comply fully with the letter and spirit of the Natura 2000 European environmental conservation network requirements, and will not tolerate any attempt to chip away such protection.

More immediately, the EC has been drawn into the controversy surrounding the future of Kremikovtzi steel plant. Amid a tug-o’-war between figures in the national Government and Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov and his local allies, Sofia municipality lodged a complaint at European level against Kremikovtzi because of its continuing breaches of environmental pollution regulations. It is, of course, notable that this step has been taken by Sofia only as part of the contest over the future of the plant, even though on the face of it the problem is so profound as to have required such action at a much earlier stage.

Further, the row over the Bourgas-Alexandropoulis pipeline project also seems destined for scrutiny at European level, given that a Bulgarian member of the European Parliament, Dushana Zdravkova - a member of Borissov’s party - has undertaken to raise the matter with the EP’s petitions committee.

On one level, it is heartening that EU membership means that issues that may have been neglected or ignored amid official inertia may now receive greater priority as local players learn to make use of European institutions. It is also good to see, as in the case of the suspension of funds because of the National Road Infrastructure Fund debacle, that the EC is prepared to take the initiative rather than risk the abuse of European funds and in this way contribute to improved governance in Bulgaria.

On another level, however, there is the risk that appeal to European institutions and involving them in an issue may be abused to serve partisan or commercial ends, as seems to have been the case with Kremikovtzi, where a local player sought to bring in the heavyweights to strengthen his own hand in the battle over the steel plant.

Either way, it is clear that with the fireworks long since fizzled out and the official euphoria and self-congratulation that went with EU membership long since evaporated, the realities of EU membership may bring a changed dynamic to life in Bulgaria; hopefully one that in the long term will have a positive effect on the lives of all in this country.