The Newer Member: Bulgaria in the European Union

by Victor Bojkov

Pecob Working Papers Series No. X

Unlike the one of 2004, the most recent EU enlargement is not expected to cause a significant stir, either in terms of overburdening the decision-making process or in terms of large immigration numbers flooding Western European job markets.
It, however, poses several challenges of a different kind. In the first place, the rigour of EU membership conditionality has been compromised by the political need to honour earlier commitments. Bulgaria and Romania are unique new entrants in the sense that even inside the Union they will still be subject to continuous monitoring and evaluation with the threat of 'safeguard clauses' overshadowing their full-fledged participation in the EU affairs.
In the second place, and related to the above, this might provoke a reluctance on the part of the Union leadership to extend political commitments to the remaining candidates. For one, this could lurk behind the refusal of the Commission to indicate a possible starting date for accession talks with Macedonia.
Finally, the far-right EU political space has been strengthened as both new members have such parties in their Parliaments, hence in the European Parliament as well. The case of Bulgaria is particularly striking, with its far-right MEP quick in alienating most of his colleague with derogatory statements against the Roma ethnic minority.

Pecob Working Papers Series is a collection of peer reviewed scientific papers dealing with Central Eastern and Balkan Europe as well as the post-Soviet space.