Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Bulgaria to hire consultants to secure 2007 accession

Bulgaria is hiring consultants to identify parliamentarians and opinion-makers in member states where ratification of its EU accession treaty is seen as problematic, signalling nervousness about a possible delay of its EU membership.

The Bulgarian Public Procurement Agency has closed a public tender for a €100,000 consultancy job targeting at least four member states – Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark - where it fears a "possible delay of ratification."

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • Bulgaria - wants to be on the safe side (Photo: European Commission)

Sofia appears nervous that national parliamentarians in the four countries will be influenced by a key report by the European Commission, due in May, which might recommend a delay of Bulgaria and Romania's scheduled accession in 2007 by one year.

The tender speaks of "a possible delay of the ratification procedure of the Bulgarian accession treaty in some member states, particularly by the link established between the ratification procedure and the European Commission's monitoring report."

A negative or critical report by the commission could cause national MPs to postpone ratification, which is necessary in all EU member states for the accession treaty to enter into force.

As part of a last-minute Bulgarian PR offensive, a consultancy firm should now identify key opinion and decision-makers in the four states and devise strategies to convince them that the 2007 entry date should be upheld and ratification accelerated.

Speed up ratification

The tender, first picked up by Bulgarian news-portal Europe.bg, lists three aims of the job.

First, "To avoid the application of the delay clause postponing the membership of Bulgaria with one year from 2007 to 2008."

Second, "To speed up the process of ratification before the final review of preparedness for membership [the May commission report]."

Third, "To increase support for Bulgarian membership in 2007 in key countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark."

The winning consultancy firm is set to be made public by mid-March.

Little enthusiasm

The French, German and Danish parliaments are to deal with ratification of Bulgarian and Romanian EU membership only after publication of the commission report, sources confirmed.

The Dutch senate is also considering this option. The Dutch lower house already ratified the accession treaties in February - despite the country's largest Christian Democrat party voting against Romanian accession in 2007.

Meanwhile, Romania appears to share Bulgaria's uneasiness with the slow pace of ratification, with Bucharest's foreign affairs minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu recently expressing disappointment about France.

"To be honest, I expected a lot more enthusiasm from France," he said in February according to Bucharest daily news.

Real risk of delay?

However, Brussels insiders and national parliament sources generally see no risk of a delay of ratification, even if parliamentarians are awaiting the commission report.

To soothe sceptics' fears that Bulgaria and Romania are insufficiently prepared for EU entry, the commission report may contain one or more so-called safeguard clauses.

These clauses provide for an exclusion of either countries from participation in specific EU policy areas - primarily justice and home affairs and parts of the internal market - even if they become member states in 2007.

But despite the unlikelihood of delay "Bulgaria wants to be on the safe side," said Marin Lessenski, an analyst at the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS).

Enlargement fatigue

A Bulgarian diplomat said the lobby offensive was "nothing extraordinary," but also pointed to concern about the "enlargement fatigue" currently characterising EU public opinion.

"Bulgaria is not such a well known country," the diplomat added.

European diplomats told EUobserver last month that public opinion will be "a factor" for both France and the Netherlands in handling the option of a delay for Bulgarian and Romanian accession, despite the official line that timing depends purely on meeting EU standards.

French and Dutch citizens' uneasiness over enlargement is widely seen as a contributing factor to why they rejected the EU constitution in referendums early last year.

Ukraine slams grain trade restrictions at EU summit

Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia's war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Difficult talks ahead on financing new EU defence spending

With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Latest News

  1. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  2. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  3. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  4. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  5. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
  6. How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route
  7. 2024: A Space Odyssey — why the galaxy needs regulating
  8. Syrian mayor in Germany speaks out against AfD

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us