EU Membership Benefits Are Clear, Bulgaria Has Progressed in Many Respects, MEP Kyuchyuk Says

Momchil Rusev

MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk at a Bulgarian-Romanian forum on the topic "Liberals Shape the Future: 20 Years Since the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU", held at the Vrana Palace, on the outskirts of Sofia on May 29, 2025 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kasabov)

Sofia,

29.05.2025 14:44

(BTA)

The EU membership benefits for Bulgaria are clear to all, said Renew Europe/Movement for Rights and Freedoms MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk who took part in a Bulgarian-Romanian forum on the topic "Liberals Shape the Future: 20 Years Since the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU", held at the Vrana Palace, on the outskirts of Sofia on Thursday.

"These 20 years are a significant occasion for political reflection - what we have achieved as a society and as a country through our membership in the European Union. The benefits are clear. We have seen how Bulgaria has progressed in many respects. At the same time, we also know the deficits that we have failed to fill in time. Undoubtedly, the entry of Bulgaria and Romania into the European Union has made possible the narrative of how we joined our countries and societies to a very valuable civilizational space, as a result of which we have seen a deeper integration into Schengen and the euro area. All this is an achievement, a reason for pride, a reason for taking stock," Kyuchyuk said.

"We have to ask the question - where to from here? Do we resign ourselves to being the last carriage on the EU train, or do we want to be ambitious in the idea of playing a key role in it. Unfortunately, for many years Bulgaria has not been able to find its place, either because of the political crises in the country, or because we have not been able to define our place in this home common to all of us", the MEP further stressed.

He noted that people's fears of Bulgaria joining the euro area could be overcome by an active information campaign.

"What the Bulgarian authorities are doing is too late in terms of action. I would recommend them to explain to the Bulgarian citizens in a much more reasoned way both the benefits and the drawbacks. Every accession to a union, energy, monetary or otherwise, has its points of view," he said.

"Our position is clear, and my position in principle has always been that Bulgaria should also join this union in order to complete its European integration process", Kyuchyuk stressed.

The discussion was organized by the European Liberal Forum and the Liberal Institute for Political Analysis (LIPA), with the participation of the Liberal Integration Foundation, OTCA (O Tara ca Afara), and the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD).

/KT/