Bulgaria's road to the European Union: Progress, problems and perspectives

In this article we evaluate Bulgaria's progress in preparing for accession to the European Union and the country's achievements and problems related to it. Following from the examination of the most salient aspects of the relationship between Bulgaria and the EU, we argue that perceptions of the country in the West have not caught up with the recent considerable achievements in the areas of law reform, economic transformation and democratization. In doing that, we highlight the establishment of democratic and constitutional stability, the lack of ethnic conflict, and the adoption of a comprehensive legal framework for administrative reform and enhanced border control, as well as the country's role as a factor for regional stability in the Balkans. We further argue that, in addition to the domestic progress in the fulfillment of the Copenhagen criteria, other factors, such as geopolitics, perception and advocacy, influence Bulgaria's place in the current order of accession. Finally, we discuss the interaction between domestic politics and European integration as a two level game and argue that the link between the country's transformation and its accession to the EU helps to speed up the pace of reforms but can lead to a backlash if accession is delayed indefinitely.