Foreign Policy

The main foreign policy objective of recent governments has been to secure Bulgaria's membership of the EU and NATO, for which there is widespread public support.

Bulgaria has long desired to join the EU. At its summit in Copenhagen in December 2002, the EU stated that its objective was to welcome Bulgaria, along with Romania, as a member of the Union in 2007. At the summit, the European Council endorsed the ‘road map’ prepared for Bulgaria by the European Commission, which provides clear objectives for Bulgaria in meeting its accession targets. According to the Commission, Bulgaria has achieved a reasonable degree of alignment in most areas of the acquis communautaire, however, it still needs to make efforts to develop its administrative and judicial capacity, particularly in relation to economic reform, agriculture, social policy and employment. To date Bulgaria has provisionally closed 23 chapters of the acquis. Eight chapters are yet to be concluded, including justice and home affairs, financial and budgetary provisions and environment.

Bulgaria was invited to join NATO at the Prague Summit on 24 November 2002. It is expected to become a member by May 2004 after a process of ratification. Bulgaria signed NATO’s Partnership for Peace in February 1994 and has participated in joint exercises since 1995. It showed its commitment to NATO by providing bases for the United States Forces during the Kosovo Crisis in 1999 and sent specialised troops to Afghanistan as part of the war on terrorism. The expansion of NATO and EU enlargement to include countries in eastern and central Europe will contribute to political and economic stability in the region.

Relations with Russia have become more complex since the end of the Cold War. While Bulgaria sees its future in close alliances with the EU and western countries and institutions, it is partly reliant on Russia for its energy needs and cannot afford strategically or commercially to sever all its ties.
Bulgaria takes an active role in multilateral institutions and is currently a non-permanent member on the United Nations Security Council. Bulgaria is engaged at an international level in disarmament issues and is a member of the Australia Group and several other like-minded groupings such as the Wassenaar Agreement, the Zangger Committee and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Bulgaria is a member of the Council of Europe and in the second half of 1994 became the first former communist state to hold the Presidency. Bulgaria joined the World Trade Organisation in 1996.