In the past few weeks, the EU, through the European Commission, made a very important decision in regard to the Bulgarian government. A formal investigation was launched on the decision by Bulgaria to begin construction on the South Stream pipeline project in a consortium with Russia in Bulgarian territory, despite warnings from the EU.
The South Stream pipeline was designed by Russia to supply gas to the EU while at the same time avoiding Ukrainian and Turkish territory. The pipeline is expected to run beneath the Black Sea along Bulgaria's coast and reach the EU through Greece and Romania. The aim is to prevent the Ukrainian government from saving some of the gas for its own use that is intended to be sent to the EU at times of gas stoppage due to Ukraine's debts. Such a system would also entail Russia imposing a prepaid system on Ukraine. All these will enable Russia to further put pressure on Ukraine that already has a natural gas debt of $4 billion (TL 8.42 billion).
In fact, during the first phase of the project, it was possible to design the pipeline system to be not entirely detrimental to Ukraine as it will be running beneath the Ukrainian continental shelf. However, as Crimea has been annexed by Russia, the situation has caused a severe conflict over borders and international recognition. As Bulgaria faced the first serious political reaction by the EU due to its careless actions, the Bulgarian government decided to suspend the construction of the pipelines. Nevertheless, Minister of Energy Dragomir Stoynev stated that his government is not giving up on the South Stream project entirely, as the suspension is only temporary.
Bulgaria became an EU member in 2007, not because it fulfilled the requirements, but to strengthen its fragile democracy. Just like Greece submitted its application in 1975 and became a member in 1981, it was known by the EU that it was not capable of fulfilling the membership requirements...These two southeastern Balkan countries have used the EU's advance in the worst way possible. When Greece became a member, the EU had only 10 member countries and Greece, Portugal and Ireland had been vitally supported by structural and agricultural funds since they were relatively backward members of the EU. As the European Commission states, the EU's financial support for Bulgaria continues to "evaporate" within the Bulgarian bureaucracy. Greece has almost succeeded by itself in creating an unstable eurozone. While other countries in crisis are recovering their economy, Greece's economy still keeps its stagnation.
Bulgaria and Greece are EU member states.
On the other hand, Turkey's membership is still a matter of debate. Neither Greece nor Bulgaria and not even Romania will be able to redress their economy with their own dynamics, unless they get the advantage of integrating the vitality and growth of the Turkish economy. Instead, it is difficult to find a reasonable explanation for either country which acts as if limiting Turkey's foreign trade were their objective. The World Bank tried to tell EU officials something that must be clearly understood: a well-functioning of the Customs Union is crucial not only for Turkey but also for the single market and all Balkan and Middle Eastern states. The further enlargement of the EU might be questioned, but it is clear that the EU is not able to export its wealth and stability as a "soft power," without supporting Turkey's integration. Within the international conjuncture that has an increasing polarization, it is a conundrum for countries like Bulgaria and Southern Cyprus, which entail a submarine duty within the EU for Russia, to further pursue such politics. It is a matter of debate whether the EU and the U.S. comprehend the importance of Turkey at the international juncture.
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