The Impact of European Integration Development on Media Transformation in the Republic of Bulgaria

Abstract

The article analyzes the current state of the mass media of the Republic of Bulgaria and the changes that have taken place in this area during the period of preparation and membership of the state in the European Union. The author emphasizes that in the process of European integration, the media played a key role, reflecting all social processes, the impact of European integration on the social and political life of the country in particular. The democratization of the society has contributed to a major transformation of the media system and methods of its management. The state was able to synchronize its media legislation with European norms and standards, which has created a positive dynamics of development in the media market, especially in the segment of TV and radio broadcasting. The process of Bulgaria’s preparation and accession to the EU has had a positive impact on the country’s media policy and media law. Currently, the main priority of Bulgaria’s foreign policy is the process of European integration and the media play a direct role in it. Joining the EU has allowed Bulgaria to achieve greater internal stability; use opportunities for the development of democratic institutions, including the media system. The Republic of Bulgaria has not yet reached the standards of the European information policy in the field of ethnic issues, but after joining the EU there are tangible positive changes in the improvement of this sphere. Commercial media have appeared in Bulgaria, which dissociated themselves from the state, changed their profile, looking for their audience. Due to the concentration of media ownership and increased investment in the media market of Bulgaria, the competition between commercial media has grown and there is now a tendency to commercialize media content. This has led to the spreading of a hybrid model of the press and its tautological audiovisual production. “Classical” censorship gave way to property censorship, which significantly limited the variety of media content and formats. A significant drawback at the level of the media system is the weak regulatory support for the transition to digital distribution of information.