CSD's activities in the field of European policy
studies started in early 1995 with the launching of the project
Europe 2000: Bulgaria and the European Union. The work
carried out under this project included a pioneering analysis of
issues related to the implementation of the Europe Agreement
between Bulgaria and the European Communities which entered into
force in February 1995.
Over the past two years CSD's European Program
developed into a comprehensive long term effort aimed at examining
the opportunities and problems of Bulgaria's accession to the
European political, economic and security structures.
Having carried out extensive research and produced a
number of policy analyses and recommendations in 1995, the main
emphasis in the Program's 1996 activities was placed on encouraging
an open public dialogue on the issues of integration. CSD's efforts
in this respect were aimed both at assisting the policy debate on a
bi-partisan basis, and expanding the discussions to involve the
civil society institutions and the public in general.
I. Public Events
The public discussions organized in 1996 focused on
three major topics:
- The role of civil society in the process of
European integration
- Foreign policy and security aspects of
integration
Trade Policy
In view of the crucial importance of trade policy
issues during the association period for Bulgaria, on April 13, CSD
organized a conference Trade Policy in the Context of Bulgaria's
Integration into the European Union. The conference was held to
concur with the annual meeting of the EBRD in Sofia. Speakers were
Mr. Atanas Paparizov, Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic
Cooperation, Mr. Antonino Pitrone, Head of Sector, Economic and
Trade Developments and Investment Promotion within DG IA, Unit B1
EU-CEC Relations of the European Commission, Mr. Borislav Georgiev,
Deputy Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation, and Dr.
Dencho Georgiev, Chief Bulgarian GATT/WTO Negotiator.
In addition, Mr. Stanislav Daskalov, Director of the
Europe 2000 project, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and
former chief negotiator for the conclusion of the Europe Agreement
presented the project recommendations on trade policy. The
recommendations called parti-cularly for:
- placing a priority on negotiating free trade area
agreements with the associated countries of CEE (Poland, the Czech
Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and later Slovenia);
- increased efforts to achieve further opening of the
EU market for Bulgarian products;
- the integration efforts to increasingly cover not
only the government level but also the industry level. Cooperation
between Bulgarian associations of sector industries, chambers of
commerce, etc., and their partners in the EU should be
encouraged.
Role of Civil Society in the Process of
European Integration
CSD's efforts in the field of European integration
include also an important segment on promoting the participation of
NGOs in the process. Particularly important in this respect is the
strengthening of the links between indigenous NGOs and the European
Parliament. With a view of this objective, in 1996 CSD initiated a
series of meetings between Members of the European Parliament and
Bulgarian non-governmental organizations. The first meeting, on
June 13, organized jointly with the Open Society Fund, Sofia
discussed the Role of Civil Society in the Process of European
Integration. The panel of speakers included Mr. Arie
Oostlander, MEP and rapporteur to the European Parliament on the
enlargement to the East, Mr. Philip Dimitrov and Mr. Ivailo Kalfin,
Deputy Chairs of the Joint Parliamentary Committee EU-Bulgaria. Mr.
Oostlander informed the participants about the discussion on his
report at the European Parliament. The meeting was attended by
representatives of leading Bulgarian NGOs involved in the
integration process.
The next in this series of meetings у Integration
in the EU on the Agenda of the Civil Society in Bulgaria у was
held on July 22 on the eve of the Third Meeting of the Joint
Parliamentary Committee EU у Bulgaria. Ms. Wilmya Zimmermann,
Member of the European Parliament and representatives of leading
Bulgarian NGOs exchanged views on the particular contribution which
the non-governmental sector can make to the integration efforts as
well as on the prospects of establishing closer contacts between
Bulgarian NGOs and the European Parliament.
In view of the contribution these meetings have made
to the process of European integration of Bulgaria they will be
continued in 1997.
Foreign Policy and Security Aspects of
Integration
The issues of the future place of Bulgaria in the
new European security architecture figure prominently in the public
debate in the country. Responding to the need for enhanced
professionalism and openness of the debate, CSD held a number of
conferences and seminars aimed at providing forum for dialogue
involving the general public as well as experts and policy
makers.
CSD considers the input of EU experts and policy
makers into the debate to be of particular importance for the
integration process. The first in the series of such meetings was
held on February 7. Dr. Alyson Bailes, Head of Security Policy
Department, Foreign Office of the UK, presented a lecture on
European and Regional Security at CSD. Members of
Parliament, government officials, NGO representatives and experts
took part in the meeting.
The symposium Bulgaria in the Future European
Security Structure was held on June 3. Mr. John Roper,
Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs,
London, and member of the Second Carnegie Commission, and Dr.
Fraser Cameron, Foreign Policy Adviser at DG IA3 of the European
Commission made presentations at the seminar on the integration of
the CEECs into the European security structure and on the relation
between the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and
enlargement. Participants included Members of Parliament, heads of
departments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry
of Defense, independent experts and NGO representatives.
In addition to discussions at the expert and
policy-making level, the on-going debate about Bulgaria's future in
the European security structures includes another important aspect
relating to the general public opinion on these issues. With a view
of addressing the quality of the information available to the
public CSD held a seminar NATO and the Bulgarian Society:
Educational Aspects. The seminar participants, including
government and NGO experts, and journalists, discussed different
approaches to increasing the professionalism and impartiality of
the debate in order to provide the general public with the
opportunity to make an informed choice on these matters.
Another important aspect of the new European
dimension of security is fostering democratic security communities
in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. In September 1996,
the final course of the project Security and Democracy in the
New Europe 1996 was held at CSD. The project is a joint effort
of CSD and the Centre for Defense Studies and the Department of War
Studies at King's College, University of London as a leading
partner, the Department of Defense Studies of University of
Ljubljana, the Netherlands Institute for International Relations
(Clingendael) and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign
Policy (ELIAMEP). The course in Sofia was the concluding stage of a
two-year project which resulted in the establishment of a network
of security professionals from a number of Central and East
European countries. Participants included experts from government
institutions, NGOs, and journalists.
II. Policy Papers
The Third Meeting of the Joint Parliamentary
Committee EU у Bulgaria was held in Sofia at the end of July. For
this occasion, CSD developed several policy papers on matters
included in the agenda of the meeting. The analysis in the papers
was presented from the point of view of Bulgaria's obligations
under the Europe Agreement and its general accession strategy. The
papers included:
Legal Aspects of the Freedom of Expression in
Bulgarian Electronic Media, by Georgi Sarakinov
The Media in Bulgaria, by Koprinka
Tchervenkova, Editor-in-Chief, Kultura weekly
Human Resources and Social Policy, by Yordan
Hristoskov, Social Policy Advisor to the President of the
Republic
Movement of Capital and Payments, by Lyubomir
Hristov, Advisor to the Executive Director of the World Bank
The papers provided important background analysis
and information for the meeting since social issues and the civil
society were prominent on the agenda.
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