Interview with His Excellency Mr Steve Williams - British Ambassador to Bulgaria

As you have been the UK Ambassador to Bulgaria since 2007 when Bulgaria joined the EU, have you seen any major changes in Bulgaria since you arrived?

I've seen Bulgaria playing an increasingly active and constructive role as a valued member of the EU - on issues like the Western Balkans, the Black Sea, energy, security. I've seen Bulgaria developing as a valued ally in NATO - for example its steadily growing presence in Afghanistan. I've seen increasing interest in Bulgaria from British companies, and from British tourists. On the less positive side, I've seen the traffic in Sofia increase even in the 19 months I've been here!

What was your image of Bulgaria before you came here? How has it evolved since you came here?

My image of Bulgaria before I arrived in October 2007 was frozen in time from April 1987, which is when I left Bulgaria after spending 3 years here as a young diplomat. As you can imagine, the changes in the intervening 20 years were dramatic. But thankfully not everything had changed: the historic buildings in the centre of Sofia, the magnificent countryside, the superb wines and delicious food, the warmth and friendliness of the people.

Do you personally prefer living in Bulgaria or in the UK? How have your wife and three children adapted to life in Bulgaria?

Not a fair question! The UK is my home country, it is where I grew up, it is where we have our home, and it is where I would want to settle when I eventually retire. But to have the opportunity to live in a wonderful country like Bulgaria is a fantastic privilege. Fiona (my wife) and I feel very settled here and our 3 children (who are all based in the UK) love coming out here in the school and university holidays.

How can Bulgaria improve its image in the EU and what can be done to stop corrupt practices in the country?

The image of Bulgaria in the UK and in the EU as a whole has many positive elements - look at the level of tourism and the level of business interest. But obviously the continuing problems over tackling organised crime and high level corruption, and reforming the judicial system, are well known. There is no "quick fix". It requires sustained concrete results. The successive reports by the European Commission under the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) have given Bulgaria a very clear diagnostic tool about what needs to be done.

Do you believe the Lisbon Reform Treaty will eventually be ratified? In what direction do you believe the EU should evolve - towards greater supranationalism or the opposite?

The Lisbon Treaty will not come into force until all countries have ratified it. The Irish government hopes to be in a position to hold a second referendum on the issue later this year. Meanwhile it is important that nothing is said or done to complicate that. As for how the EU should evolve, I think it should be in the direction of "maximising valued added". The old extremes of "United States of Europe" and a "Common Market" is yesterday's debate. Europe should, and is, concentrating on those areas where acting together can achieve more than acting at the national or local level - the environment, including the response to climate change, is a good example of how the EU is making a real difference for the better to the lives of ordinary EU citizens.

What are the lessons the EU should learn from Bulgaria and Romania's accession with regard to further enlargement?

The EU has learnt from - and benefitted from - each wave of enlargement, including that of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007. Enlargement has been one of the EU's greatest successes, and for the UK further enlargement - to the Western Balkans, to Turkey - remains a strategic priority. But not at any price - countries should join when they are ready to do so, and have met the necessary criteria. And the experience of Romania and Bulgaria shows how important it is to sustain the reform process after as well as pre-accession and how important the continued engagement and support of the Commission and Member States is.

Do you believe that the media coverage of Bulgaria in the UK has been fair and what effect does this have on relations between the two countries?

I don't think the media coverage of the UK in the UK is always "fair"! It is the nature of the business - good news is no news. So inevitably the media will tend to pick up on "negative" stories, like Mogilino or corruption or property scandals. But the large numbers of British tourists that visit Bulgaria every year, the number of British nationals that have chosen to live in Bulgaria, the number of British companies wanting to develop their business here - all that shows that there are many underlying positives to the "brand image" of Bulgaria in the UK despite what you may believe from the press.

Which of Bulgaria and the UK have been affected more by the global financial crisis in your opinion, and how long do you think the crisis will last in both countries?

It's a global crisis so inevitably it is affecting both the UK and Bulgaria. The specific impact will vary because of differences in the structures of the two economies. The UK economy is, for example, more heavily dependent on the financial services industry, while in the macro-economic framework, for example, the UK has a floating exchange rate and Bulgaria a fixed one. But a global crisis requires a global response - and that is what the EU and the G20 have been providing. And for the UK, working with Bulgaria and our other EU partners, in shaping and co-ordinating that response remains very important.

What is the reason for the downturn in the numbers of UK property buyers investing in Bulgaria, is it just the global financial crisis or is there a deeper problem?

The reason is fairly straightforward. The "British" property boom in Bulgaria was fuelled by the property boom in the UK. With rising UK property prices and cheap credit, many people sought to free up the equity in their UK property by investing in a second property in Bulgaria and elsewhere. With the slump in the UK property market, and the squeeze on credit, the number of new British property buyers in Bulgaria has inevitably reduced sharply.

From the British people in Bulgaria you have come into contact with, can you summarize them by placing them in one social group and how do they benefit Bulgaria?

The resident British community in Bulgaria continues to increase steadily - those who live here permanently rather than those I have just described who bought property mainly as an investment. It is hard to generalise, but most of the permanent residents chose to move to Bulgaria for lifestyle reasons. Bulgaria is an attractive, accessible, affordable and welcoming place to settle. Many, but not all, have retired. They are from various social groups. Many have settled in small villages that had been suffering de-population. So the British residents have helped bring economic life back to those villages. So it's been win-win in most cases - good for the local community and good for the British community.

Do you have any latest information on the Michael Shields case, are you kept up to date regarding his detention in the UK?

Michael Shields was transferred back to the UK to serve the remainder of his sentence there. He and his supporters continue to claim he suffered a miscarriage of justice. The UK Court of Appeal recently ruled in his favour and against the UK Justice Secretary on the question of whether the UK Justice Secretary, in certain tightly defined circumstances, had the right to consider pardoning Shields if - but only if - there was compelling evidence of his innocence, not available at the time of the original trial. The implications of the High Court ruling are still being assessed. We have kept the Bulgarian authorities fully informed.

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