Interview with Martijn Elgersma, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sofia

Three Dutch ministers recently sent a letter to the House of Representatives, identifying many shortcomings in Bulgaria, including „the lack of political will to implement irreversible reforms". What is the reasoning behind this letter?

The Dutch parliament has - on all previous such reports as well as the current one - requested the government to give its assessment of the July report by the European Commission regarding the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM). This has been done by the above mentioned letter of 28 August 2009. All government letters sent to parliament are public by law. It should be stressed that the letter does not contain any new criticism of Bulgaria: it summarizes the findings in the EU Commission's report and gives the government's assessment of the Commission's findings.

A group of EU member states, including the Netherlands, have been pressing Brussels for more sanctions against Bulgaria as well as neighbouring Romania, which also joined in 2007. Why has the Dutch government been one of the harshest critics of Bulgaria?

Progress regarding the CVM reforms is in the interest of Bulgaria as well as the other EU member states. As a friend and EU partner of Bulgaria, the Netherlands has an open dialogue with Bulgaria on these issues and at the same time gives concrete support to the reforms in this area.

It is interesting that in your question you state that the Dutch government has been one of the harshest critics of Bulgaria, while the assessment - or criticism if you like - you refer to has actually been made by the European Commission in its CVM-report, an assessment which has largely been endorsed by the current Bulgarian government. The Dutch government has on various occasions stated that lack of progress with the CVM cannot remain without consequences. In the above-mentioned letter to parliament, however, the word "sanctions" is not mentioned. To clarify the position of the Dutch government: the letter states that it should be clear that a continued lack of progress in the framework of the CVM will hinder Bulgaria's and Romania's own citizens in optimally reaping all the benefits of EU membership. Regarding Schengen, it says that although formally the Schengen process is not linked to the CVM-process, it cannot be denied that there is a de facto link. Lack of progress in the reform of the justice system and/or the fight against corruption and organised crime may make Schengen-entry more difficult, since abolishing border controls can only take place if there is sufficient confidence on both sides. Finally, the letter states that the new Bulgarian government - elected i.a. on the promise that it will implement the necessary reforms with regard to the rule of law - should be given the opportunity to show that it takes these reforms seriously and it mentions that Bulgaria and Romania need to be supported in their further reforms.

In addition to this, it maybe useful to stress that from the beginning of the enlargement discussion, the Dutch government has welcomed Bulgaria's (as well as the other new member states') accession to the EU. It is of the opinion that enlargement makes the EU stronger and is in the interest of both the old and the new member states. At the same time, it has always been of the opinion, that all countries should completely fulfil the criteria for accession and it has always held an open dialogue with these countries about this. From the start of the accession negotiations it has supported Bulgaria in a wide variety of subjects and sectors to implement the necessary reforms. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the Dutch government has invested over 100 million euro in supporting the political and economic transformation of Bulgarian society. This support is continuing until today, with many projects in the area of the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism.

How would you comment claims that this is also tied with domestic political issues in the Netherlands?

The Dutch parliament follows EU matters, incl. EU enlargement, closely. The Dutch government is of the opinion that a strong EU is in the interest of all citizens and it realises that further development of European co-operation is only possible if there is sufficient public support for it. It therefore actively encourages debate in the Netherlands on all relevant EU issues, so it should not be surprising that issues like CVM are subject of debate in the Dutch parliament as well as among the Dutch public.

How have diplomatic contacts between Bulgaria and the Netherlands changed since the new center-right government of GERB party has come into power?

Diplomatic contacts between Bulgaria and the Netherlands were and are excellent. This has not changed with the new government coming into power.

What is Bulgaria's image in the Netherlands?

It is not for the Dutch Embassy in Sofia to assess Bulgaria's image in the Netherlands. If anything, we could say that Bulgaria has been one of the lesser known European countries in the Netherlands, with contacts and information quickly increasing since the EU-accession. Of course, debates on corruption and organised crime that are held in Bulgaria are reflected in the Dutch press, also because of the direct relationship with the CVM discussion. At the same time, one sees that other aspects of Bulgaria, like it touristic and economic possibilities, as well as its cultural heritage receive increasing attention in the Dutch media.

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