ABOUT BULGARIA: EU Status

Bulgaria, along with Romania, officially joined the EU in January 2007. There are still areas that need to be improved, such as the legal system, but all sides seem confident that entry has been to everyone's advantage and that the few outstanding issues (such as the extent of land to be placed within Natura 200, the EU's conservation policy) will easily be resolved. The EU is currently investing large amounts of money in the Bulgarian infrastructure, including roads through the Strandzha Mountains and a motorway from Sofia to Bourgas.

Romania and Bulgaria join the EU (BBC News)

Similarly, the IMF is happy with the progress of the Bulgarian economy and the erosion of its overseas debt. Whether this will be sufficient for Bulgaria to join the Eurozone on its admission to the EU we rather doubt, but that is certainly an objective shared by all major political parties.