Bulgarian Europe Minister: "We Are Dreaming of a Better Life"

Herself small in physical size, Minister for European Affairs Meglena Kuneva likes to talk about confidence and the need for people to have a little more of it regarding Bulgaria. At the same time, her tone doesn't come across as one of arrogance.

"I think that the desire to be better is there," she said in an interview with Deutsche Welle. "We are dreaming of a better life and this is a great vehicle for trying to get better and better every single day."

Kuneva, 49, said that while Bulgaria has come a long way since it was a satellite state of the Soviet Union, her generation will likely not be the ones who really benefit from the ground-breaking changes that her country has seen since it shook one-party rule in 1990.

"I don't believe that those people who are in the middle of their lives could easily harvest the fruits," she said.

But she said it is the next generation, the children of her peers, including her own son, who will really become a part of Europe. According to her, they already feel like Europeans, having a sense of curiosity and liberty that many of their parents lack.

"If we compare this generation with the one before the 90s, the difference is dramatic," she said.

Hurdles to overcome

But Bulgaria still faces big challenges that are giving the European Commission cause for concern and could prove a stumbling block to a 2007 accession date. The EU has chided the country for its rampant corruption, several unsolved contract killings and a fight against money laundering many consider overly feeble. Kuneva said that Bulgaria has some catching up to do, but stressed that progress has been made.

"We have many successful cases against money laundering," she said. "Well, many means four. This is because of being already integrated in a much broader community."

Besides time to tackle deeply rooted problems Bulgaria needs a break from the bad old days, she said -- not only the communist era, but also the difficult transition years of the 1990s. The decade was marked by government shuffles, flip-flopping policies, and in 1997 an inflation rate that reached 240 percent, triggering mass protests and the downfall of another government.

"Those who actually brought the country to this very unfortunate stage in the 1990s have been outcast from public opinion," she said. "They have never regained the public's confidence."

New blood needed

Kuneva said she hopes the old guard is replaced by qualified politicians -- especially younger ones -- who are ready to take on positions of responsibility in Sofia. That could be made all the more difficult due to Bulgaria's continuing problem with brain drain, in which highly skilled people leave the country in search of more lucrative opportunities abroad. She said it's important to improve conditions at home instead of simply making it harder for people to leave.

"I think that we could rely on having our best people at home if they are confident that they could go and come back," she said. "I don't believe that with restriction, we could keep people at home. It's not fair."

That is why EU programs such as "Erasmus" are important, in which students get financial assistance to spend a semester abroad. Bulgarians already have access to these stipends, although the country is not a full EU member yet.

What would happen, though, if Bulgaria does not reach its goal of EU accession on Jan.1, 2007? Kuneva only smiled, saying she firmly believes the country with meet its target date. Besides, a big EU party has already been planned in her electoral district, Ruse.

It might be that the EU Commission in September will decide to push Bulgaria's accession date back a year. No, Kuneva said, there's no Plan B in case that happens. But, she added, it won't.