The Politics of Differentiated Integration: What do Governments Want? Country Report – Bulgaria

Abstract

The report analyses the salience of differentiated integration in the programmes of Bulgarian governments, speeches by heads of governments and heads of state and parliamentary debates between 2007 and 2020 using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Salience analyses produce two key findings. First, the salience of DI models and mechanisms is generally low in official government positions and parliamentary debates. Second, in the case of Bulgaria, the salience of Schengen and EMU is an expression of a preference for more integration, given that fully-fledged participation in these areas has been consistently considered not only an obligation deriving from EU Membership but also a priority by Bulgarian decision-makers ever since 2007. The report shows that European policy and debates on Europe’s future are not central in Bulgarian government positions. Governing parties and opposition parties share a clearly negative stance towards models of DI. In the rhetoric of national politicians, ‘core Еurope’ is used in parallel with ‘periphery,’ triggering negative associations with second-class membership in a union of more developed and powerful countries. While the position on DI seems to be independent of context, the position towards deepening European integration seems to be more complex and context-driven.