A video titled “Bulgaria in the EU”, was published on April 7th 2024 in the YouTube channel EU Made Simple, in the video main topics are Bulgaria’s representation in the European Parliament and the European Commission. We decided to check how our country is represented in the video before European election in June.
Bulgaria as part of the European Union and its financial position.
The creator starts with the history of the EU and Bulgaria from the moment when the country becomes part of the European union in 2007, together with Romania. In the video the population of Bulgaria is said to be around 6.5 million people as of 2024, which is false, because the data is from 2021 and its outdated. The Bulgarian population in 2023 is less than 6.5 according to the National statistical institute research on population and demographic developments in 2022.
According to the world bank and NSI the Bulgarian GDP in 2022 is 86 billion euros, which is the same as the information in the video. The creator states that the GDP per capita is 13 270 euros, which places Bulgaria at the bottom of the EU rankings. The numbers are false as according to The Word Bank the number is 13 053 euros, but according to the International Monetary fund it is 15 820 euros. The fact about Bulgaria’s ranking is correct.
Exports, Imports and the EU funding
The video addresses the imports and exports of Bulgaria and The EU Single market has been very good for Bulgaria, as intra-EU trade accounts for 66% of Bulgaria’s exports, with Germany receiving 16%, Romania 9%, and Italy 7%. Outside the EU, Turkey accounts for 6% of exports and China for 3%. When it comes to imports, EU Member States contribute to 61% of Bulgaria’s imports, with Germany accounting for 12%, and both Italy and Romania 7% each. Outside the EU, 7% of imports come from Turkey, and 6% from Russia, and according to the official website of the European Union this data is absolutely correct.
Due to its economic challenges, Bulgaria is a net receiver of EU funds – in the video there is data about the contribution, that’s incorrect: “In 2021 Bulgaria received 1.7 bil more than it contributed.” According to the European Commission Bulgaria received 1.8 not 1.7 bil euros more than it contributed (to be more concrete the total National contributions are 687.615 mln euros and the total EU expenditure for Bulgaria are 2560.624 mln euros).
“Bulgaria held 5 Parliamentary Elections since 2021” which is true, according to OSCE the 5 Parliamentary Elections in Bulgaria since 2021 till now were on: 04.04.2021., 11.07.2021., 14.11.2021., 02.10.2022. and on 02.04.2023.
“Bulgaria is represented by 17 MEPs” – As stated in the official site of the European parliament,which puts it on the 15th place by number of MEPs in the European Union – 5 are part of the S&D Group, all of which are members of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, 3 are part of the Renew Europe Group, members of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, 7 are part of the EPP Group, 1 of the members is part of the Union of Democratic Forces party, 5 are part of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, and 1 is part of the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party, the last 2 members are part of the ECR Group and they are both part of the VMRO party.
All the information stated by the video via images is true. The video states that the previous European commissioner Mariya Gabriel notable contributions to Erasmus+ program and launching the European Innovation Agenda with five key pillars to promote deep tech innovation and according to the official site of the European Commission Mariya Gabriel was the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth from 2019 to 2023 when she stepped down to return to national Bulgarian politics. The actions taken under her leadership are further described in a briefing posted by the European Parliament.
The creator of the video falsely states that 51% of Bulgarians view the EU positively. The statement is false, because according to a survey done by the Eurobarometer between January and February 2024 only 45% of Bulgarians trust the European Union while 48% tend to not trust the EU, 7% of 2,011 Bulgarians surveyed have responded with “I don’t know”.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly between EU and Bulgaria.
In this section the creator of the video states that last year the EU allocated 183 million euros on building 33 km of motorway connecting Sofia with Serbia which is true. The Commission has approved an investment of more than €183 million from the Cohesion Fund for building 33.403 km of the new Europa Motorway within the section linking the Kalotina checkpoint at the Bulgaria-Serbia border with the ring road around Bulgaria’s capital – Sofia.
In terms of investments the video states that Bulgaria also experienced a peak in the foreign investments in the year of joining the Union and an increased inflow in the years after that. However, this is only half true because BIA analysis shows collapse of foreign investment in Bulgaria in the period 2007-2017. “The investment climate determines the economy of one country, and the indicator for business climate quality is the size of investments, in particular foreign investments. In the period 2007-2017 the total volume of investments in Bulgaria remained unchanged (about BGN 18 billion a year, with a peak in 2008 when it was BGN 24 billion), thanks mainly to local investments, i.e. of the initiative of Bulgarian entrepreneurs”.
“EU membership has opened doors for Bulgarians to work, study, and travel freely across member states, enriching both personal and professional lives” – this statement is true as a result since Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU in 2007 there are over 3 million people from Bulgaria and Romania already living in other Member States and it is unlikely that there will be any major increase following the ending of the final restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian workers.
After that the video turns towards EU funds which are allocated to unnecessary causes. “Projects like constructing stadiums in nearly deserted villages.” – this statement is true – according to the site “Cherna Kniga” in the period between 2014 and 2020 87 projects were approved so that 300 facilities can be renovated or constructed, the total value of which is almost 300 million leva. One such example is the making of new sports ground in the small village of Tsareva Livada. The investment cost 1,895,557 euro all of which were European funds.
Continuing the investments topic, the video creator states that the Hemus motorway project, whose construction initiated in 1974 to link Sofia with the port city of Varna, hasn’t been completed and there are revelations of €30 million being diverted to shell companies and smuggled out of the country in literal bags. This statement is partially true. As stated by the Ministry of Interior Chief Secretary Peter Todorov said that the money was first transferred to buffer companies and later to shell companies, which had been registered a day earlier with a capital of 2 leva and with low-income persons signed in as owners in exchange for a small sum. Some 60 million were transferred to the shell companies’ accounts and later the same day the money was withdrawn via transactions of 1 million leva each. The cash was taken out in bags.
Now the “ugly” part and real pain for Bulgaria, as stated by the video, has been the stalled conversations around Bulgaria’s Schengen Area membership. Despite over a decade in the EU, countries such as the Netherlands, and more recently Austria, have continuously blocked its Schengen entry, costing the economy around €4 billion annually. This statement is true as according to the document The Cost of Non-Schengen Impact of border controls within Schengen on the Single Market the costs of non-Schengen are €3-4bn a year.
Furthermore, the video states that while Bulgaria has joined the Schengen Air and Sea zones in April this year, the lack of land membership costs businesses €200 million yearly. This, coupled with border delays for citizens, fuels feelings of inequality and frustration among Bulgarians. Furthermore, Bulgaria’s goal to adopt the euro has also faced delays. Once Bulgaria joins the Schengen and Eurozone, its GDP is estimated to grow by 3% to 5%. This is partially true because the costs vary from 52mil to 200 mil for non-Schengen air and travel members, but portion about GDP is factually correct and estimated grow is by 3% to 5%.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that the video is mostly true, but since the creator is using outdated information, there are some factual mistakes in the video. Some of the falsely presented information in the video includes the current population of Bulgaria, as well as GDP per capita. Also, the percentage of Bulgarians who have confidence in the EU turns out to be inflated in the video, compared to reliable data.
RESEARCH | ARTICLE © Dimiter Mitev, Ivaylo Stefanov, Radoslav Bogoev, Alex Vlahov – Sofia University St. kliment Ohridski, BG
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