Géopolitiques de la Bulgarie

07 novembre 2007

No EU criticism

7 November 2007 | 07:12 | FOCUS News Agency

The European Commission has refused to appeal for new efforts in the fight against corruption for Bulgaria and Romania in its annual enlargement report. However, the EU sought concrete results in the fight against corruption and organized crime in the newly acceded member states in its draft report, AFP reported.
EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini announced that Bulgaria and Romania’s accession as full-fledged member states was the right decision, even though the EU still helps both countries.



Brussels denies criticising Bulgaria and Bucharest: AFP

Brussels. In its annual report about the enlargement the EU Commission denied calling upon new efforts in the fight against corruption in Bulgaria and Romania – the two states that became EU member states on January 1, the AFP informed. In spite of all in the draft report on the EU enlargement strategy, Brussels asked for “concrete results” about the fight against corruption and organized crime in the newly accessed member states. “The two states have achieved some progress after their joining to the EU in the judicial system and the fight against corruption and Bulgaria also in the fight against organized crime. Although it was achieved many positive results there is a need of concrete results especially in the fight against corruption and organized crime, according to the draft report that was announced on Monday.
In today’s final version of the report there is no critics.


Franco Frattini: Bulgaria’s and Rumania’s accession in EU was right decision

Brussels. European Commissioner for Justice Franco Frattini said that the accession of Bulgaria and Rumania as full members of the European Union was a right decision despite the fact that Brussels still helps the two states in the reinforcement of the reforms in the battle against corruption and the eradication of crime, Bulgarian National Radio informs.
Frattini expressed his optimism on the occasion of the implementation of the national strategies for dealing with corruption and the reforms of the judicial system. ‘If we compare the reasons causing concern, for example the level of corruption, which still remains high and the occasions for satisfaction, I think that the second prevail,’ the European Commissioner says.


When talking about corruption in Romania Bulgaria is inevitably affected

Sofia. The EU report will probably be the traditional one – critics without infringement procedures, the Centre for Democracy Investigation employee Tihomir Bezlov told FOCUS News Agency. In his words there weren’t special amendments against corruption in Bulgaria. We can see what political crisis followed in Romania in the moment when they make little try against corruption. The interesting thing in Romania was that after Bulgaria was the main issue in reference to the organized crime for 2-3 years it suddenly turns out that Western Europe seriously brings up the question about Romanian crime while in Bulgarian diaspora is not main theme in the media, the expert added. According to him the big problem now is Romanian crime in Western Europe. Bezlov added that the bad thing is that they put us in the same group. When there is talking about corruption in Romania inevitably the word “Bulgaria” is mentioned.


EC: Montenegro has achieved considerable progress in acceptance of new constitution

Brussels. Considerable progress is achieved in Montenegro in the acceptance of the new constitution, the report of the European Committee points out, the Serbian News Agency BETA informs. In the report, published today in Brussels, it is emphasized that the new constitution pays regard to the principles and the European standards which Montenegro accepted upon becoming a member of the European Council. The constitution forbids death sentence and protects the rights of the minorities.
The Committee underlines that in some fields the supreme law of the state should become in harmony with the European standards concerning the role of the prosecution so as the collision of interests be avoided. It is necessary as well that the government in Podgorica increase the opportunities of the ministries and the respective services in order for Montenegro to be integrated more successfully in the EU.


MIA: EC points out that political criteria progress is needed in Macedonia

Brussels. There is progress in the economic reforms in Macedonia but even greater progress is necessary for the execution of the political criteria, the report of the European Committee points out concerning the progress of Macedonia, published today in Brussels, Macedonian News Agency MIA informs. It is evaluated in the report that there is progress in the realization of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the fight with corruption is pointed out as the most successful filed, the agency announces. According to the EC there is progress as well in the filed of decentralization and in the realization of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. The judicial system and the state administration are mentioned as the most critical fields. The Committee makes a reference to the incident in the parliament, namely the boycott of the Democratic Union for Integration of the work of the judicial body and the rejection of new statutes of the parliament. It is recommended that all political parties cooperate in the frame of the institutions, MIA informs.


75% of the Bulgarians support Bulgaria’s membership in the EU

Sofia. 75% of the Bulgarians support he membership of the country in the EU. The number of Bulgarians, who have positive opinion for the Union continues to grow. This means that Bulgarians believe in the future of the European Union, John Beyrle US Ambassador to Bulgaria said, while speaking during a forum, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce on the occasion of the first year of membership of Bulgaria in the EU, a reporter of FOCUS News Agency informed.


EU may sign association agreement of Serbia

Brussels. The European Commission announced in its report from today that Belgrade has made serious efforts in order to meet the requirement of the European Union for overall cooperation with the International Tribunal in the Hague and this is a pre-condition fore the bloc to sign the agreement for Stabilization and Association.
Source: AFP


Serbia stabilization agreement will be signed tomorrow: Olie Rehn

Brussels. The agreement for stabilization and association between the EU and Serbia will be signed tomorrow in Brussels, The European Commissioner for Enlargement Olie Rehn said today in the capital of Belgium, Serbian news agency Tanjug informs.


European Affairs Minister: Bulgaria made strong debut in EU

Sofia. Bulgaria develops well but there are still more challenges, Minister of European Affairs Gergana Grancharova said during a forum, FOCUS News Agency reported. According to her Bulgaria made a strong debut in the EU with the solving of the problem with the medics in Libya and the problem with the Cyrillic alphabet. The administrative capacity in Bulgaria still represents a problematic sector and apart from it reforms are needed in the public sector – especially in healthcare and education, Grancharova thinks.
In connection with the Preventive Clause in Aviation imposed by the European Committee Grancharova points out that she believes that soon there will be good news soon. The country puts all efforts to enter the Schengen zone in 2011, Grancharova added. On the event were present the American ambassador in Bulgaria John Byerly, the leader of the delegation of the European Committee Michael Humphris and the Portuguese ambassador Mario Dos Santos.
Galina DIMOVA


Utrinski Vesnik: Macedonia judicial system and state administration criticized by EU again

Skopje. The reforms in the judicial system and the capacity of the state administration are the fields for which there are the most criticisms in the political part of the report of the European Committee on the progress of Macedonia towards membership in the EU, Macedonian newspaper Utrinski Vesnik writes today. The free movement of capitals, the social politics and employment are critical points in the economic part of the report. A day before the official presentation of the report in Brussels high-ranking government authorities evaluated the report as the best one so far which Macedonia has received. This report is a backward step as far as the specification of a date is concerned for the beginning of negotiations for EU membership but this doesn’t depend only on the technical execution of the conditions but on the good will of EU as well, the newspaper writes.


Bulgaria would definitely win of more countries from the Balkans become EU members: Solomon Passy

Sofia. ‘The enlargement of the European Union /EU/ by more countries and especially by coun tries from the Balkan peninsula would be extremely positive step in the development of the bloc. The absence of the countries from the Western Balkans from the structure of the EU is a temporary phenomenon. Before these countries join the EU, the process of their accession to NATO has to be finalized’, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Policy Solomon Passy said in relation to the forthcoming report of the EU on its enlargement towards the Western Balkans and Turkey.
‘Bulgaria would definitely win if more countries from the Balkans become members of EU. When the one’s neighbors are rich, the probability to get rich is higher’, Passy said.


Yuliana Nikolova: Turkey is not a country, which can be neglected in terms of EU

Sofia. Turkey is not a country, which can be neglected in terms of EU membership. There were statements of the French President that Turkey should be given a chance, when it is completely ready and meets all requirements. There were also the opposite signals. The European People’s Party stated that they oppose the membership of Turkey not because of the preparation of the country, but because of demographic reasons, the Director of the European institute Yuliana Nikolova said in an interview for FOCUS News Agency. Nikolova was speaking in a comment of the report of the European Commission on the future enlargement of the EU.


Yuliana Nikolova: Larger number of states does not mean stronger EU

Sofia. This report will concern the fifth enlargement and its effect on the EU, Yuliana Nikolova, Director of the European Institute said in an interview for FOCUS News Agency. According to Nikolova, the strive for enlargement of the EU should be carried out ‘to a certain limit’.
‘The effectiveness of the union should be increased so that decisions are made faster and implemented simultaneously by the member states. This way the role of the union as a global player could be increased’, Nikolova said.
According to her the larger number of member states does not mean stronger EU.
‘Even the opposite, making decisions could become harder in case the institutional mechanism is nit changed’, she said.


European Commission to publish annual report on the enlargement of the Union

Brussels. The European Commission will publish its annual report on the perspectives for the enlargement of the European Union towards Turkey and the countries from the Western Balkans. According to AFP, the report reads that Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the bloc on January 1st 2007, have not yet achieved satisfactory ‘concrete results’ in the fight against corruption and organized crime.
According to the report the two countries have achieved some progress, since they joined, regarding the reform of their judiciaries and the fight against corruption, and in Bulgaria, also in the field of the fight against organized crime.


EU report scolds Bulgaria on corruption

Brussels. EU officials in Brussels believe Bulgaria should make additional efforts in its fight against corruption and organized crime, reports said Monday.
The EC's report said Bulgaria should achieve concrete results in its fight against organized crime, The Earth Times reports.
Bulgaria is on a major Balkan route for trafficking in people and drugs from the Middle East to Western Europe.
Shoot-outs among mob groups in the streets of Bulgaria have left dozens of dead people in the past years.
In June, the EC in its progress report urged Bulgaria and Romania to strengthen fight against corruption. It said the two countries should make their judicial systems more efficient.
The EC is to publish another progress report early in 2008.

01 novembre 2007

Dimitar Drachev: Bulgaria’s cigarette industry was prepared for the EU requirements before 2007

10 September 2007 | 11:40 | FOCUS News Agency

Plovdiv. The Bulgarian cigarette industry was prepared for the requirements of the EU for content and control of the controlled substances in the smoke several years before 2007, and thus several brands of cigarettes were created with significantly lower indices for these substances’, the Director of the Tobacco institute in the Bulgarian town of Plovdiv Dimitar Drachev said in an interview for FOCUS News Agency informed. ‘After Bulgaria’s accession to the EU there were significant changes, which were expressed through significant import of cigarettes by International companies. This is due mainly to the liberalization of the market and the lifting of the existing requirements for the prices of the different brands of cigarettes to be defined by the Council of Ministers’, Drachev said.

What's wrong with Bulgarians and Romanians?

1 November 2007 | 04:06 | FOCUS News Agency

London. What's wrong is that they joined the EU after half a million Polish migrants rocked up to these shores. Tough luck. On Tuesday, the government confirmed that Bulgarians and Romanians will be barred from working in the UK for at least another year. Why? Because, the argument goes, the effects of the two countries' recent EU membership are yet to be fully evaluated. But the real reason is that the government is fearful of losing its grip on immigration. The economic truth, as a cynical fellow Bulgarian pointed out during January's somewhat subdued EU accession celebrations in Sofia, is that those who really wanted to leave have already gone. They have had nearly 20 years to do it. Bulgaria's population has shrunk dramatically as a result. The highly skilled and the resourceful have remade their lives in the US, Europe and the Antipodes. Others have fallen through the cracks of their adoptive countries' black economies. With Bulgarian unemployment at 6.7%, lower than the EU average, there is a trend for some workers to return home, The Guardian reported. This may be why the Bulgarian media didn't get too excited over the latest bad news from Britain. For some, it confirmed that we are still, in the eyes of "Europe", second-class citizens. And some suggested angrily that Bulgarian migrants contribute infinitely more to the British economy than British ex-pat pensioners and property investors do to Bulgaria. Others pointed out that it's only fair for the UK to safeguard itself against foreigners. Besides, a Bulgarian in London chirped, as EU members you can apply to remain for free, as opposed to the usual fee of £400. We must be grateful for small mercies. This, along with resourcefulness and fatalism, is something communism taught us well.

Ambassador criticizes UK over Bulgarian, Romanian workers

1 November 2007 | 01:19 | FOCUS News Agency

London. Romania's acting ambassador to the United Kingdom, Raduta Matache, has criticized the UK's decision to keep their labor market closed to workers from Romania and Bulgaria. "I still have to get a convincing explanation from a British official why they are imposing restrictions on a people who are not coming here, who do not have the UK as the prevalent destination," she told BBC Radio. Latest news30 October 2007 UK continues limits on Bulgarian and Romanian workers. 26 October 2007 Immigration speeds UK population growth. 18 October 2007 UK immigration system to change 'out of all recognition'. Figures released in August showed that 3,990 Romanians and Bulgarians came to work in Britain during between April and June of 2007, a 21 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2007. The figures included those who were self-employed and self-sufficient -- an additional 3,980 were issued permits under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). Most of the migration influx to Britain since the enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and 2007 came from countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Matache expressed "regret" to Liam Byrne, Britain's Immigration Minister, stating that Romanians accounted for less than 1 percent of the migrant workers in the UK. She said the continuing exclusion of Romanian and Bulgarian workers is a symbolic gesture in response to the government's gaff at under-estimating migration figures.

28 octobre 2007

Telegraf: London to give us the brush-off

28 October 2007 | 04:46 | FOCUS News Agency

London. The British Government is to keep the tight restrictions on the number of low-skilled workers from Romania and Bulgaria that it will be allowed into Britain, despite pressure from employers. The restrictions were enforced after the integration of Sofia and Bucarest to the EU, which caused a surge of hysteria, mainly in the UK press. The expected devastating wave of Bulgarians and Romanians was supposed to dismantle UK’s economy. A year later this apocalyptic prediction is flatly thorn to shreds by a report of the British Ministry of Interior stating that the budged has enjoyed GBP 6 billion from the labour of the immigrants. Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister of the UK, is about to dash the hopes of the Bulgarian and Romanian governments that Britain’s labour market will be opened fully to their citizens, Times Daily writes. The UK Ministry of Interior has conducted a review of the policy imposed when the two states joined the EU in January and has come down firmly in favour of maintaining restrictions. Telegraf Daily

25 octobre 2007

24 Chasa: Bulgaria receives funds for curbing economic differences

25 October 2007 | 03:31 | FOCUS News Agency

Sofia. Three countries from the European Economic Area (EEA) have announced they will pledge EUR 41.5 million for ecology, qualifications improvement and for restoration of historic sites in Bulgaria. Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein are members of the EEA. The funds will be used to contribute to the social and economic development of the two EU newcomers. Romania will be also financed likewise. The funds will be paid by the end of April 2009, 24 Chasa daily reports.

24 octobre 2007

Bulgarian interior ministry prepares 4 hardware tenders

24 October 2007 | 03:24 | FOCUS News Agency

Sofia. The Bulgarian interior ministry plans to invest EUR 130 million in the purchase of new equipment through 2009. Among the planned purchases are 12 vessels that will be based in the Black Sea region, four helicopters, two drones and all-terrain vehicles. Investment resource will be set aside for the completion of the country's integrated border control and management system. A public procedure for the procurement of 1,000 vehicles for the law-enforcement authorities will be invited by the end of 2007, as the online English edition of Dnevnik Daily reported.

23 octobre 2007

There are no Bulgarians occupying high-rank EU Commission posts

23 October 2007 | 05:35 | FOCUS News Agency

Sofia. Bulgaria is the sole EU member state that has no citizens of its occupying key posts within the European Commission, a recent survey of Dnevnik Daily reveals. It is interesting to mention that even Malta, the smallest country in the club of 27, and Romania have at least one director each in the upper hierarchy of the Commission. Heads of departments, senior councilors, directors and director generals with monthly wages ranging from EUR 6, 200 up to EUR 14, 800 constitute the mid- and high-rank positions at the EU Commission. According to data released by EPSO (the European Personnel Selection Office) there are 135 Bulgarian administrators working at the EU Commission, 129 agents on temporary labor contracts and 11 commissioned experts. And yet neither of them occupies positions superior to administrator. As Commission officials have put it, the problem stems from the lack of qualified candidates from Bulgaria. The Minister of European Affairs Gergana Gruncharova and EU Commissioner for Administration Siim Kalas have already discussed the issue.

27 septembre 2007

Lost in English Translation

"United in diversity" is the motto of the European Union, its pledge - to provide diversity and equality. This is never more evident than in the languages it embraces. Or rather the lack of it.

In their loftier moments, such as during Wednesday's celebrations of the European Day of Languages, Brussels politicians say languages allow EU citizens to exert their democratic rights and assert cultural differences. In such loftier moments Bulgarian politicians say the same, almost invariably in... English.

The cynicism of the situation displayed at numerous high-profile events such as Wednesday's "Conference on Multilinguism" in Sofia is that by whole-heartedly embracing the English language for their speech, politicians say what they would never admit - linguistic diversity is a headache, threatened in all corners of Europe.

The lingua franca is English, often perverted into its obscure and boring Eurolect form typical of EU insiders.

For Western Europeans Europe ends where the signs are no longer in a language they can read. For Bulgarian politicians Europe starts where everything is in English, except, ironically, for the signs, which, under a recent decision, will awkwardly sport the Bulgarian "bul" and "ul" for "blvd" and "st".

I can't help remembering with a smile the harsh criticism and traitor accusations we had to endure for launching an English language site on Bulgaria in 2001. Our aim was clear - to paint as full a picture of the country as possible, targeting as many people as possible.

The aim of Bulgarian politicians, who doggedly pick (broken) English for their addresses in their own country, remains open to question.

It is not about how the Bulgarian language will survive in the big multilingual family of Europe. It is about how local politicians assert Bulgaria's cultural difference.

It is all in their mouths, oops, hands.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=85736

BULGARIANS WANT FREE ACCESS TO OUR JOBS MARKET

BRITAIN’S borders came under further strain yesterday as Bulgaria called on us to lift restrictions on its citizens working in the UK.

The government there claimed  only four Bulgarians had been deported from Britain since Bulgaria joined the EU this year, and said this was “encouraging”.

The country’s Euro-Affairs Minister Gergana Grancharova added: “Two of them were residing illegally and the other two were working illegally in the UK. These figures are very encouraging.” She claimed Britain is not even a popular destination for Bulgarian migrants, being outside the top three destinations for jobseekers.

She said: “Figures show that Bulgarian migrants should not be an issue for the UK.

Bulgaria is a small country and unable to create huge obstacles for the UK labour market. “It is important to emit positive signals and have fewer reports of illegal Bulgarian migrants.”

Bulgaria is one of the crime capitals of Europe, plagued by powerful drug cartels, alarming levels of people trafficking and a government embroiled in Mafia corruption.

Limits were placed on workers from Bulgaria and neighbouring Romania when the two countries joined the EU on January 1.

There have been repeated calls from both for the restrictions to be dropped. So far the Government has held firm amid concerns that economic migration is placing a strain on public services.

Unemployment in Britain is also at a seven-year high thanks to migrants from Eastern Europe taking jobs here.

The Home Office is believed to be preparing to recommend restrictions stay in place for another year. But critics claim that, while there are restrictions, people are entering Britain freely as EU citizens and then staying on to work illegally.

Now hundreds of thousands of  workers from Europe’s poorest country threaten to flood the EU jobs market. Romania’s president wants to fast-track citizenship applications for workers from neighbouring Moldova, so that they can get work in EU countries.

President Traian Basescu has asked local authorities to change legislation so that Moldovans can gain Romanian citizenship more easily.

Moldova was part of Romania until the Second World War, and was then absorbed into the Soviet Union. Because of ethnic ties, Moldovans have been allowed to claim Romanian citizenship.

But since last summer, when it was apparent that Romania was to join the EU, applications have soared. There have been 800,000 applications since August last year, and officials in Romania are struggling to cope.

President Basescu said: “We have a moral and political obligation to the people in Moldova and we should not forget that the EU has a work deficit of 20 million people.”

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/20268/Bulgarians-want-free-access-to-our-jobs-market