A Tale of What Could Have Been for the EU's Poorest Country
- Bulgaria to host rotating EU presidency 10 years after joining
- Economic gains have been crimped by persistent corruption
A Bulgarian farm producer holds an EU flag.
Photographer: Boryana Katsarova/AFP via Getty Images
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A decade ago, Bulgarians flooded the streets in celebration of their ex-communist nation joining the European Union. There was a light show in the skies above the capital. Then-Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev called it a “dream come true.”
The euphoria wasn’t just about shaking off the country’s Eastern Bloc legacy. Accession carried the promise of bridging the wealth gap with Europe’s richer west. Membership would boost trade and bring billions of euros in infrastructure investments. For its part, Bulgaria would rebuild its political institutions, bringing them up to European standards.