by Krassen Nikolov
The Netherland’s and Austria’s decision to block Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen has bolstered the rhetoric of pro-Russian circles, with populist party Vazrazhdane (Revival) leader Kostadin Kostadinov saying the decision proves the EU’s hypocrisy in wanting Bulgaria’s money, but not its citizens.
Kostadinov warned Bulgarians their country could become a buffer and a raw material appendage of the West after EU home affairs ministers recently approved Croatia’s bid to join the EU’s passport-free Schengen area in January but blocked applications by Bulgaria and Romania.
“Schengen has shown with its decision that the European Union wants Bulgaria to be a buffer territory. Our EU partners do not want Bulgaria to be a strong economy. Our partners have taken off the masks, we have to start renegotiating our EU membership,” Kostadinov said later that day.
“The decision reveals the hypocrisy of European politics: ‘You can be in the Eurozone so that we can take your money from the Bulgarian currency board to suck the money that Bulgaria has. On the other hand, you cannot be in Schengen yet”, Kostadinov added.
Support for anti-NATO Vazrazhdane has increased tenfold in the past two years, as it dialled into extreme anti-vax propaganda and spread Russian rhetorics on the war in Ukraine. The party got over 10% in the last elections, but there are fears that this popularity could continue to soar.
According to Kostadinov, the Schengen decision favours Bulgarians because the country will not become a distribution centre for illegal immigrants amid the bloc’s ongoing migrant crisis.
Last week, in a symbolic move, the not-yet Eurozone country demonstrated a willingness to adopt the single currency one day as President Rumen Radev announced preparations were underway to start minting euros.
Vazrazhdane is the main opponent of the admission of Bulgaria to the Eurozone in 2024. On Friday, Kostadinov said that adopting the euro could lead to a “civil war”.
‘Boycott the Dutch’
Industrialist Vasil Velev, the chairman of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria – one of the three employers’ organisations – also attracted much attention.
Velev, among the most vocal lobbyists for a new long-term contract with Russia’s Gazprom after Sofia was amongst the first countries to be cut off from Moscow’s gas supplies earlier this year, is now calling for a complete boycott of Dutch goods and business.
“Bulgaria must use all possible levers and channels of influence. We can boycott their (Dutch) goods, we can not buy fuel at their gas stations (‘Shell’). We must not send our children to Dutch universities,” said Velev, as quoted by Nova TV.
He explained that there are enough high-quality Japanese and Korean goods in the shops, so there is no need to buy Dutch equipment. He urged the Bulgarian government to “thwart all Dutch initiatives when the Bulgarian interest is harmed.”
Russian propaganda fears
Former Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev (2012-2017) warned that the isolation of Bulgaria from Schengen would lead to a tenfold increase in Russian propaganda in the run-up to the vote of EU ministers.
“Russian hybrid attacks in Bulgaria will become even more effective. Let’s say it straight – when Bulgaria remains alone, isolated, in the periphery of the European Union, the big winner is Putin and his populists in Bulgaria,” Plevneliev said during the international conference organised by the Sofia Security Forum on Tuesday (7 December).
Who is to blame?
For two years, Bulgaria has been in a severe political crisis, while the extreme clashes between the main political parties in the country are an obstacle to forming a stable coalition government. Bulgarians may be forced to vote in a fifth general election in two years, as early as March 2023.
The major Bulgarian parties were passive on the Schengen issue during the last four months, while the caretaker government of Radev was left in the driver’s seat to lobby for joining the border-free zone.
Parties became active only in the last days before the Council of the EU vote when it was already clear that Bulgaria would be blocked.
The two former prime ministers – Boyko Borisov from GERB, which enjoys the patronage of the centre-right European People’s Party, and Kiril Petkov from “We Continue the Change” – got into a political conflict over Schengen, blaming each other.
Borisov said that Bulgaria was rejected because the government of Petkov has allowed human traffickers to operate unhindered. Meanwhile, Petkov accused Borissov of lying to European leaders and that his corruption is the cause of Bulgaria’s Schengen failure.
*first published in: Euractiv.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
