Dimitris Kourkoulas, head of the delegation of the European Commission
to Bulgaria, unveiled the commissions report on Bulgarias readiness to
join the EU. The report highlighted grave shortcomings in some areas,
but gave credit where progress had been made on a number of other aspects.
THE issues on Bulgarias foreign policy agenda in 2005 were continuations of the priorities the country had followed for the past 10 years.
Accession to European Union (EU), the medics trial in Libya, Bulgarian troops in Iraq and of membership of NATO were the main priorities for the two Governments that served in succession in 2005 in Bulgaria.
The focus of Bulgarian diplomacy was on keeping the country on track for achieving full EU membership in January 2007 as planned. Two dates marked the country efforts in the process. On April 13, with 522 votes in favour, 70 against and 69 abstentions, the European Parliament (EP) approved the treaty for Bulgarian and Romanias accession to the EU. The voting was preceded by dramatic turns that appeared to threaten a postponement of the decision. The reason was internal bickering among EU institutions; the EP was not happy that the Council of Ministers of the EU had prepared the financial framework for the two countries without consulting the EPs budget committee. A deal was struck and voting went ahead as planned. The next step for Bulgaria was on April 25, which became one of the memorable dates in the countrys recent history. In a ceremony at Neumunster Abbey in Luxembourg, the state that at that time held the rotating presidency of the EU, Bulgaria - together with Romania - took the penultimate step towards EU membership with the signing of the accession treaty with the Union. If the EU does not invoke the safeguard clause that would delay accession by one year, Bulgaria will become an EU member on January 1 2007. The document was signed on behalf of Bulgaria by President Georgi Purvanov, then-prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg, then-foreign minister Solomon Passi, and European Affairs Minister Meglena Kouneva. A few days before the signing of the EU accession treaty, the foundation Free and Democratic Bulgaria and the Foreign Ministry launched an online game called I Know the EU. This was apparently the Governments response to several articles in the Bulgarian-language media that accused the state of doing too little to explain to Bulgarians the conditions of Bulgarias accession to the Union.
On May 11, Bulgarias National Assembly ratified the accession treaty. Borislav Velikov, who at the time was Speaker of Parliament, said that the ratification of the treaty was the most significant legislative act put to the vote in Parliament since the 1991 adoption of the constitution after the fall of communism. The next day, a survey by the NCIOM polling agency showed that almost half of Bulgarians, 48.8 per cent, viewed the signing of the EU accession treaty positively. Not so positive was European enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn, who on June 3 said that the European Commission would send warning letters to Bulgaria and Romania. The letters were described as the equivalent of a yellow card and spelt out specific areas of delay in the reforms expected of the two countries during the remaining stages of their processes of EU accession. Passi and Kouneva assured Bulgarians that such letters were part of standard procedure in EU accession, and that Bulgaria was doing fine on its way to Europe. Passi did not foresee the results of the June 25 parliamentary elections, which led to more than month and a half negotiations between parties on forming a Cabinet coalition. Fears that this could delay Bulgarias EU prospects were confirmed when the EC report on the countrys preparations to join the EU was presented on October 26. Assessing Bulgarias progress in dealing with 29 chapters of the accession process, the EC listed five as requiring urgent and serious attention.These were freedom to provide services, company law, agriculture, justice and home affairs - specifically including a failure to effectively deal with organised crime and corruption - and regional policy.
Bulgaria was given six months to overcome EU criticism, because in April or May 2006, the European Council is scheduled to meet to decide whether to allow Bulgaria and Romania to join the EU as planned on January 1 2007.
In 2005, Bulgaria scored successes on the NATO front. Bulgaria was admitted to NATO on April 2004. In its first and a half year as a NATO member, the country emerged as an active member of the alliance, making considerable progress as a factor for stability in the Balkans.
NATO membership, however, meant certain obligations for Bulgaria - which was seen by some Bulgarians as a loss of sovereignty.
On March 20, General James Jones, commander of United States European command and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, said that the US was ready to start negotiations with new NATO members Bulgaria and Romania on setting up US military bases on their territories.
In a report to a US house of representatives committee, Jones said that US officers had made several visits to the two countries and it was time to start official negotiations.
Jones said that the US would want to have free access to their forces in Bulgaria and Romania and to able to deploy them to points of military conflict.
Previously the US has had problems with countries not letting them use their bases for military operations and in directly deploying troops to war zones. According to Jones, Bulgaria and Romania would not create such problems. He described them as very willing to co-operate. On October 6, NATO and Bulgaria started negotiations on foreign military bases in Bulgaria. The two parties agreed that the US will not be allowed to use its military bases in Bulgaria to attack other countries, unless Bulgaria gives its permission. It was reported at the time that the US would not have to pay for using the bases in Bulgaria, and US troops would not remain permanently in Bulgaria. Apart from deploying troops, the US will use the port of Bourgas for the transportation of military equipment.The negotiations were not finalised by the end of 2005 and were postponed for the spring of 2006. An issue that remained to be resolved concerned which jurisdiction would apply if a US service person committed a crime in Bulgaria.
The country continued its obligations in 2005 as part of the anti terrorist coalition. It was planned for Bulgaria to strengthen its participation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A hundred military personnel will join the Bulgarian platoon there in the spring of 2006.
A further 70 Bulgarian military personnel would be sent to Kabul in Afghanistan in spring 2006, as part of a 300-strong contingent that is to guard the citys airport.
As for Iraq, 2005 was controversial for Bulgaria as the media reported a continuing debate on withdrawal. The year will be remembered for the tragic death of Junior Sergeant Gurdi Gurdev, the eighth Bulgarian soldier to die in Iraq, whose death on March 4 was caused by friendly fire. His death sparked major controversy, including a revival of the debate on Bulgarias continued military participation in Iraq. On March 14, President Georgi Purvanov said that the Bulgarian contingent should be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2005. His message found support among the public, and on May 5 the National Assembly decided that Bulgarias infantry battalion would end its mission in Iraq by December 31 2005. A special Bulgarian commission was to prepare reports on Bulgarias pullout from Iraq and the substitution of military participation with humanitarian aid. As the date for the pullout approached, there were reports that Bulgaria might prolong its presence in Iraq after December 2005. Apart from training Iraqi security forces, Bulgaria started considering participation in humanitarian operations that did not involve military actions. On November 22, it became clear that Bulgaria would maintain a military presence in Iraq despite Parliaments decision on a withdrawal by January 1 2006.
Bulgaria planed to send 120 soldiers to Iraq, to guard Ashraf military camp, 75km north of Baghdad. The new mission will be completely different from that in the city of Diwania. Bulgarians there patrolled and inspected military facilities. The Ashraf operation will consist of policing tasks. The camp houses Iraqi prisoners charged with murder and rape. A final decision on the plan will be taken in January 2006.
Another key theme for Bulgaria in 2005 was the trial of Bulgarian medics in Libya. On December 25, Libyas Supreme Court referred back for retrial the case against five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor for deliberately infecting more than 400 children with HIV. On May 6 2004, Libya found the five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor guilty of having caused the death of 50 children and of infecting almost 400 others with HIV at the Benghazi Al-Fatah Childrens Hospital. They were sentenced to death by firing squad. On November 25 2005, Muammar Gadaffi told CNN that the nurses might be exchanged for Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the Libyan imprisoned in 2001 for the Lockerbie bombing. Another option for the nurses release was the payment of financial compensation to the families of the infected children. Bulgarias position on the issue has always been that the nurses are innocent and must be released immediately without any negotiations. The same position is shared by the EU, US, and the United Nations.
