Publication

This paper describes how Bulgaria and Romania may be approaching EU accession, but serious domestic issues remain, as illustrated by the June 2005 Bulgarian elections. The author states that Bulgaria's swing to the right also highlights a serious disconnect between popular views and those of the political elite on EU and NATO membership, as in the EU itself. The paper explains that the opening of negotiation with Turkey for membership is likely to strengthen the extreme right in some Balkan candidate nations and may bring wider regional instability.