Word: bulgaria
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...political drift could have other consequences. Another report, by a panel of E.U. experts advising the Bulgarian government, says Bulgaria is spinning out of Brussels' orbit. As yet unpublished, the report by the International Advisory Board for Bulgaria says Russia could regain its historic hold on the country if political forces and civil society fail to spell out a strong European agenda. It warns that Bulgaria, which depends on Russia for 92% of its gas supplies, is uniquely vulnerable to Moscow. (Read "How One Man Plans to Sink the European Union...
...member board, chaired by former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, says that without strategic direction and clear priorities on issues like security and energy, the Bulgarian state could face populist revolts. And that instability "could undo the ties between the E.U. and Bulgaria, prompting a shift toward Russian political and economic interests...
...reports paint a portrait of a country stuck at the bottom of the class just 2½ years after it joined the E.U. Bulgaria's lack of progress is all the more glaring given the initial assumptions, in both Brussels and Sofia, that E.U. accession would lock in the reform process, pulling Bulgaria into the European mainstream. But the country is still plagued by corruption, gangland violence and feeble law enforcement. The system's failings were all too visible earlier this month, when two men indicted for running a criminal mob involved in racketeering and extortion were freed on bail...
...deeply concerned," says Jana Mittermaier, who heads the Brussels office of anti-corruption group Transparency International. She says Bulgaria has long been saddled with a non-functioning judiciary and a lack of political will to fight corruption. "We hope that the new government will be able to take the signal from Brussels to radically change the system," she adds. "It needs to start cleaning things up so that serious sentences can be enforced against corruption and organized crime."(Read "Europe Tries to Break Its Russian Gas Habit...
...European Commission, Bulgaria's languid efforts to clamp down on graft and crime are especially dispiriting. Although the commission's report points to piecemeal progress by the authorities, it effectively acknowledges that the carrot of E.U. accession has failed to deliver the promised results: while the scent of membership prompted loud reformist rhetoric, the momentum slipped once Bulgaria joined...