BULGARIA: European Union flag raised in Bulgaria

The EU was raised for the first time on Monday (January 1) in Sofia only hours after Bulgaria officially joined the European Union. Bulgaria and ex-poor communist Romania, which also missed the EU's first expansion into the former eastern bloc in 2004, expects huge benefits from entry like higher living standards, more foreign investment, and billions of euros in EU funds. Most of the 30 million Bulgarians and Romanians themselves also hope membership will push their politicians to crack down on corruption and crime, help eradicate widespread poverty and give young people opportunities to live and work abroad legally. Bulgaria president Georgi Parnavov led the flag-raising ceremony and was upbeat about the future in his speech. "Congratulations for the full membership of Bulgaria in EU. "A day that so many Bulgarians worked hard to see." Official enthusiasm is however tempered by fears of higher prices, competition in business, and other unknown aspects of what EU membership might bring. Poland, Estonia and the Czech and Slovak republics have opened their doors to the newcomers' workers, raising hopes in Sofia where people want the possibility to work for bigger pay packages. Already every tenth Romanian and Bulgarian has gone abroad since the fall of communism in 1989 to seek better paid jobs. But Britain and Ireland, flooded by more than 400,000 "Polish plumbers" and other east Europeans after the EU's last enlargement, shut their labour markets, limiting the newcomers' permit-free access to low-skilled jobs. France, Italy, Spain, Germany and other member states have also refused to grant unrestricted working rights. That leaves some feeling trapped in Bulgaria and Romania, where many fear their low earnings -- average Bulgarian wages are 160 euro ($211) a month -- will soon be under attack from the more expensive prices of western Europe.

ITN Source | January 2, 2007

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