How Bulgaria squandered its EU membership
05 October 2024
For most Balkan states, EU membership remains a strong aspiration. The economic benefits of the single market and access to EU funding are key drivers for reform and, at times, reconciliation in the region. With that in mind, it must seem surreal that a country like Bulgaria, being by most accounts the EU's weakest economy, has not made much use of its EU membership in recent years. Since the beginning of Bulgaria's political crisis in 2021 which sparked a seemingly endless cycle of elections, the country has absorbed a mere 4% of the EU funding it has access to. This inability to utilise EU funds has impacted investments in key economic sectors such as energy, public infrastructure, and construction.
The EU offers money in the form of grants, subsidies, loans, and funding programmes to its member states, with the aim of strengthening their infrastructure. As part of the latest programming period, Bulgaria can acquire around €20 billion from the EU, but the institutional chaos brought about by the political crisis has hampered the process, and the repeated failure to adopt crucial legislation has blocked billions in recovery funding – a symptom of the deep-rooted ills of Bulgarian democracy.
How does the parliament block the funds, you ask? Here's an example. As the parliament held its last sitting before the October snap elections, Bulgarians were given a show like no other – MPs occupying the podium, sound cables being ripped out, shouting, pop-folk music, and threats. Such scenes are fitting for former talk show host Slavi Trifonov's populist ITN party. Together with the far-right Revival party, ITN sabotaged the final parliamentary meeting to block a crucial vote on the new Climate Neutrality Roadmap, which would have unlocked nearly €5 billion in EU funding. ITN and Revival's reasoning was that the roadmap would have resulted in the closure of Bulgaria's coal mines; however, even the largest trade union, CITUB, described the events as "madness".
 | Martin Penov The entire affair showcases how Bulgaria's political instability could have a heavy price, as it faces its seventh round of elections in three years. Political short-sightedness and widespread corruption have meant that Bulgaria has not been able to make the most of its EU membership. The EU's shift towards a "money for reforms" model has raised fears that Bulgaria may lose access to even more funding in the future. Eurosceptic parties have taken note of this and have exacerbated the situation by criticising EU-backed legislation, and using the funding deadlock as a tool to discredit Bulgaria's EU membership. |
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