Bulgaria dreams of distant union

Bulgarians associate their dreams of European citizenship with the salaries of the Germans, the houses of the French and the holidays of the Scandinavians.

These are some of the results of a study by the NGO for European Predictions and Research, which show the country looking forward optimistically to the day, probably in 2007, when it will join the EU family.

"About 85% of replies on what European membership means are related to the high standard of living," says political analyst Svetlana Lomeva.

"People think that when we join Europe, we will be given higher salaries. European accession is not viewed as personal responsibility."

Before it can join the EU Bulgaria has lots of ecnomic and social problems to solve.

Bulgarian politicians were happy with a recent EU acknowledgement of Bulgaria as a functioning market economy, but ordinary people found it rather surprising.

Roma and unemployment

"We have no economy, so what market economy can we speak of?" said one passer-by on the streets of Sofia.

"We only have sales of peanuts and almonds and some Turkish goods. We no longer produce anything."

Another said: "We work for coppers and struggle to survive. We work 12 hours for 110 leva (50 euros) per month."

With prices close to, and sometimes even higher than, in the EU, every tenth person ekes out a living on a 50-euro monthly salary.

Meanwhile more than one in 10 are unemployed. The situation is particularly bad for Roma, few of whom have jobs and many of whom are unable to send their children to school.

"There are whole sectors of the economy which do not employ a single Gipsy, and whole geographic regions as well. Has anybody asked themselves what we are to do with these people?" asks Roma leader Toma Tomov.

Land lovers

This is why many Bulgarians end up working for the grey economy in Europe. It also helps explain Bulgaria's high crime rate - which brings us to another problem, the judicial system.

The government says that it cannot beat crime and corruption, with the existing slow and unreformed judicial system. As Justice Minister Anton Stankov admits, attempts to overhaul the system have been making slow progress.

"If we are to respond to EU criticism, we need to change the immunity of the magistrates," he says.

"Is it possible for a magistrate to drive a car when drunk, and do they need immunity for this?"

Reforms in the judiciary would mean amendments to the Constitution - which parliament is not prepared to approve.

In order for Bulgaria to join the EU it also needs to drop the constitutional ban on foreigners buying land in Bulgaria.

One in two Bulgarians are against this, and of the rest, many will only accept it under certain conditions.

"We cannot allow this change before a real market in land develops, because everything will be bought up very cheaply," says MP Konstantin Penchev.

"There must be an exemption period before that happens, and that is normal."

The fear that good agricultural land will be snapped up by foreigners for next to nothing is widespread in Bulgaria.

Power politics

Another sore point is the European Commission's demand for the closure of the oldest reactors of the Kozloduy nuclear power station.

It's a question that presents Bulgarians with a dilemma - EU membership or cheap electricity.

The power station's supporters are able to call thousands of protesters on to the streets - they want a referendum on the subject.

According to Professor Andrey Pantev, the dawning realisation that EU membership means compromises on sovereignty is fuelling euro-scepticism.

"It's possible to get euro-rage," he says.

"We already have scepticism. From enthusiasm we can move to despair."

Last year saw a drop from 84% to 75% in the projected Yes vote, if a referendum were to be held on EU accession.

But for now Bulgaria, along with Romania, continues to be one of the most enthusiastic candidate countries about EU membership.