Eu Enlargement

EU Enlargement:

Impact of the EU on the Political Situation in Bulgaria

The enlargement of the EU is a carefully managed process which helps the democratization of the countries involved, extending peace, stability and democratic values across Europe. It is also a way of tackling common problems at a global level. The EU influences the internal affairs of candidate countries in order to meet the EU accession criteria and live up to the EU standards. Therefore, the EU has had a great impact on the domestic political agenda in Bulgaria, contributing to a considerable progress; however corruption and the judicial system reform remain a serious challenge.

Bulgaria, one of the two newly accepted members, let the EU in its domestic political agenda on the path toward the EU, influenced by EU pre-accession strategy. The accession process was structured by roadmaps, following the regular reports on the progress, which served as a check off list to guide the adoption of the acquis communautaire (Spendzharova, 2003, p. 149). These documents provided a framework that was strongly linked to the existing EU structures on which issues need to be tackled. Bulgaria has ratified international conventions regarding crucial areas such as judicial cooperation in criminal and civil matters, police cooperation, the fight against organized crime etc. In addition, it has adopted strategies to fight terrorism and corruption (European Commission, 2003). The execution of reforms, however, is placed not on the supranational level but on the very domestic level of politics.

Striving to live up to the EU standards, Bulgaria has made significant progress in terms of politics in the recent years. Potential membership in the EU served as an incentive for the rapid modernization. According to Troev (2006), Bulgaria has improved its state administration and judiciary especially in the fields of asylum, child protection, equal opportunities and antidiscrimination policy as well as...