Greek Crisis Dims Bulgaria's Euro Dreams

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The problem is that sometimes life justifies prejudice. A decade and a half ago war and embargo tarnished the image of the whole peninsula: it didn’t matter if you were fighting or not, everyone suffered from the bad publicity, the ascent of mafias, and a lack of investor interest. These days the Western Balkans are also moving toward the EU as a group. This encourages regional integration as well as regional blame. The process is partly connected to the structural logic of Brussels institutions: it is much easier to integrate groups than individual countries.

Let’s be frank: inside the union Greece was often, albeit delicately, accused of mismanagement and misuse of EU funds. Greek intellectuals admitted that the lavish subsidies did not always reach their target. European money indeed changed Greece, but everyone agrees it could have done much more.

To some extent the Greek experience comforted Bulgarians and Romanians. It showed that a country could be a European Union member and still be Orthodox, Balkan, and imperfect. But Greece’s moment of truth was yet to come.

And when it did, this winter, it was not only about the euro. Greece’s troubles blockaded Bulgaria, literally. Protesting Greek farmers blocked Bulgarian border crossings with their tractors, demanding more subsidies. Thus the free movement of people and goods was nearly shut down. Truck drivers waited days to go to Thessaloniki or Athens. Bulgarian businesses registered millions of euros in losses. Sofia threatened to go to court in Luxembourg, triggering a Balkan-EU precedent. Borisov went to the border to negotiate with the protesters face to face. The farmers opened the checkpoint but soon blocked it again.

Bulgarian public opinion was split. Some were furious, wondering why the protesters decided to close only the Bulgarian border. Others were impressed with the courage of Greek farmers to defend their rights – something Bulgarian workers lacked during transition. But the predominant mood was anxiety. Something was evidently rotten in Greece, and Bulgaria – full of Greek banks, investors, restaurants, tourists, even habits – took note.

Fear is an infectious Balkan disease. In a region where people copy one another’s songs, their meals, and their political protests, panic easily crosses borders in any direction.

Yet there are some positive consequences to all this. Many commentators thought the Bulgarian bid to join the euro zone was premature. They suggested Bulgaria should bail out businesses instead of tightening fiscal belts. Maybe the time has come for Sofia to concentrate on the efficiency of its economy and on the quality of its imports. The world still does not know a particularly Bulgarian product. Perhaps the time has come to search for it inside the potential of Bulgarian business.

And what about a national goal? There are still some at hand – entering the Schengen security area for example. But the euro still counts; it could be transformed from a short-term into a long-term goal. Or why not develop a political vision for a green-oriented, high-tech economy? Given the present circumstances, it does not look very plausible, but this is what dreams are made of, after all.

As long as no more neighbors implode.

Provided by Transitions Online—Intelligent Eastern Europe

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