The Governments expression of disappointment at the decision by the European Commission to deny Bulgaria 220 million euro in Phare funding is itself a disappointment.
It is clear that Brussels is well past the point of being persuaded to give this country yet another chance on the strength of piles of plans and promises.
When Meglena Kouneva was minister for European integration, before EU accession in 2007 brought her a post as a European commissioner, she warned frequently that inaction in implementing reforms would cost Bulgaria large sums in EU money. On November 25 2008, her warnings were fulfilled.
The decision by the EC to withhold the Phare funds to protect the interests of EU and Bulgarian taxpayers is entirely understandable. There is no point in throwing goodmoney after bad, no point in rewarding the complacency of a Government that can offer no more than a scant list of achievements and no point in missing a chance to demonstrate to other EU countries that Brussels is ready to be tough about spending.
In the face of recession, the EU is under pressure to do whatever it can to assist its close to 500 million citizens. There is less excuse than ever for waste.
There have been calls from opposition parties for the Government to resign. With a scheduled parliamentary election about six months away, there seems little point, especially because there is little evidence that any other parties would perform better.
That is not, however, an endorsement of the current Government. There could be a case for a reshuffling of Cabinet ministers and members of the administration who clearly are not up to the job. Incompetence and smugness need to be replaced by action and, if necessary, training in management and administrative skills that clearly are lacking.
