On June 25, Bulgarian-language daily newspaper Dnevnik reported that Bulgaria had been expelled from the Danube Tourist Commission, depriving local companies of participating in international projects and from being promoted by the commission in 2008. By 2006, Bulgaria had accumulated an unpaid debt of 60 000 euro to the organisation and so Bulgaria was expelled, Dnevnik said.

The Sofia Echo contacted the Danube Tourist Commission. It turned out that Bulgaria was expelled as early as June 2007.

On June 19 2007, the Danube Tourist Commission held a special general meeting and voted unanimously to expel Bulgaria from the organisation. “Grounds for the expulsion were Bulgaria’s persistent delinquency on payment of its membership contribution over several years, despite great forbearance displayed by other members,” a commission media statement said.

Bulgaria was among the founding members of the commission in 1970 and participated actively in its work and fulfilled its obligations until 1999. “Thereafter, the country failed to remit annual membership contributions with the exception of that for 2003. The reason cited for the default was the closure of the Danube at Novi Sad. Both of the two Bulgarian cruise liners, however, continued to operate on the upper and middle portions of the Danube between Passau and Budapest, and a third vessel was added to the fleet in 2004,” commission secretary-general Ursula Deutsch said in the statement.

After the navigation hindrances were overcome and the Danube’s entire length became freely passable again in the autumn of 2005, Bulgarian tourism shipping companies and tour operators “took advantage of the Danube Tourist Commission’s Shipping Conferences to establish contacts and conduct business at the expense of all other members of the organisation”.

The commission started losing patience and made numerous attempts to make Bulgaria pay its debt, including arranging discussions with the relevant authorities, appealing to President Georgi Purvanov, meeting with Rousse regional governor Maria Dimova and Bulgarian ambassador to Vienna, Radi Naidenov, as well as with Bulgarian tourism companies, some of which endeavoured to help, but “no progress was made”.

In February 2007, the commission offered the then newly appointed head of the Bulgarian State Agency for Tourism Anelia Kroushkova a reduction of the arrears as a sign of goodwill. According to Deutsch, Kroushkova informed the commission in writing that the outstanding debt would be paid.

As no funds had been transferred by June 19 2007 and the commission failed to establish further contact with the responsible authorities, Bulgaria was expelled. As a result, no Bulgarian representatives or companies offering Bulgarian Danube programmes are admitted to Danube Tourist Commission events, such as the Shipping Conference, Cycling Conference and Danube Salon.

However, the expulsion is not irrevocable. Bulgaria could resume its membership in the commission by simply paying its debts and completing an appropriate application.

The Sofia Echo found that, still, more than a year later, neither had been done.

Dnevnik quoted Kroushkova as saying that Bulgaria had a deadline to provide the money. In 2007, in the Danubian city of Rousse, “in a discussion with the business sector, I asked who would agree to pay part of the debt and if there was an interest at all in being a member in the commission”, Kroushkova said. “Not a single company volunteered to engage in paying the future membership fees.

On one hand, the branch organisations were angry that we were leaving the organisation, but on the other hand, none of them wanted to take up, at least part of, the debt [...] That does not mean that in the future business representatives who are interested in participating in the organisation cannot apply and enter with full rights or as observers.” Dnevnik quoted Kroushkova as having said.

Truth is, they cannot. Michaela Korn from the Danube Tourist Commission told The Sofia Echo: “It is important to know that the Danube Tourist Commission is borne by the National Tourist Authorities of the member countries (or whoever has been appointed as a representative of the country) and their yearly membership fees. In fact, single companies can only become members if their home country’s National Tourist Authority is an official member. Furthermore, it is certainly possible that the National Tourist Authorities can search for and work with partners to support them.”

“We regret deeply having to take this measure [expelling Bulgaria], in fairness to our other members,” Korn said.

She confirmed to The Sofia Echo that since Bulgaria was expelled from Danube Tourist Commission, “there have been no endeavours, on Bulgaria’s part, to reassume the membership”. According to Korn, the commission had sent Kroushkova an amortisation plan for the debt.

“Nonetheless, we look forward to renewing the co-operation between the Bulgarian tourism authorities and the Danube Tourist Commission in the future,” she said.

Korn also once again pointed out that the commission “has made every possible effort to get in contact with the responsible authorities and persons”.

The Sofia Echo’s attempts to get the official stand of the Bulgarian State Agency for Tourism failed as the contact person for co-operation with the Danube Tourist Commission did not answer the phone, despite the information provided by the agency that “she is at work” and should answer. “Just keep on calling,” was the advice The Sofia Echo received. This newspaper's request to the head office also remained unanswered.

Meanwhile, Dnevnik quoted Rousse regional governor Dimova as saying that “the Danube is not an alternative, but a priority”, while presenting the results from a symposium, held in Rousse in June 2008, on the potential development of alternative tourism along the Danube.