Bulgaria Eu

As Bulgaria emerged from the throes of communism, it experienced a period of social and economic unrest that culminated in a severe economic and financial crisis in late 1996-early 1997. With the help of the international community, former Prime Minister Ivan Kostov initiated a series of reforms in 1997 that helped stabilize the country’s economy and put Bulgaria on the Euro-Atlantic path. Elections in 2001 ushered in a new government and president. In July 2001, Bulgaria’s ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha became the first former monarch in post-communist Eastern Europe to become Prime Minister. The leadership in Sofia remains committed to Euro-Atlantic integration, democratic reform, and development of a market economy. Bulgaria officially became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on March 29, 2004 after depositing its instruments of treaty ratification in Washington, DC. Bulgaria signed its Accession Treaty with the European Union (EU) on April 25, 2005. With the supp ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

Cyprus is a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers who forced women into prostitution continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas. There was increasing evidence of Chinese women being trafficked for sexual exploitation in Cyprus. The Government of Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cyprus made some progress in its anti-trafficking efforts over the past year. The new police anti-trafficking unit produced successful results and showed vigilance in combating the problem. Government recognition of the problem improve ... [Read More]

U.S.-EU Cooperation - U. S. Embassy Dublin, Ireland

back to top ^ 11 111111 11 11111 11111 111111111111111— Selected Links —111111111111111111 111111 European Union  Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union ... [Read More]

DOS/International Information Programs: Public Diplomacy Calendar

11 Currently Underway Mar. 25-Sept. 25 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan 11 July 6 - 8 G-8 Summit, Gleneagles, Scotland 11111 This Week 11 July 8 - 13 ... [Read More]

Bulgaria

The BNT broadcast Turkish-language newscasts, and local affiliates of Bulgarian National Radio broadcast limited Turkish-language programming in regions with ethnic Turkish populations. Foreign government radio programs such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe, Radio France Internationale, and the Voice of America had good access to commercial radio frequencies. ...

Victims overwhelmingly were women and girls trafficked for the purposes of prostitution. Government authorities and NGO observers reported that thousands of Bulgarian women, as well as women from Romania, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, were trafficked for sexual exploitation to Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia (including Kosovo), Bosnia, Italy, Poland, and Western Europe. La Strada, a Netherlands-based NGO, reported that Bulgarian women constituted one of the largest groups of victims of forced prostitution in Western and Central Europe. According to NGO sources, as many as 10,000 Bulgarian women, many from the Romani community or under the age of 18, could be involved in international trafficking operations. A 2001 report from the ILO's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor estimated the number of child prostitutes at 3,800 based on rough data from police and from skin and venereal disease clinics. There were no official ... [Read More]

U.S. Department of State Websites of U.S. Embassies and Consulates
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USIS Washington File: TEXT: EIZENSTAT ON U.S.-EU ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP

There is no more vivid example of our common values and goals than the work we are doing with the EU right now in Southeastern Europe. As the confrontation in Kosovo comes to an end, the U.S. and the EU still have a big job before us. Our joint aim is to build a solid foundation for a new era of peace and stability in Southeastern Europe, helping a region that has been one of the continent's most violent become, instead, a part of the European mainstream. The U.S. and the EU will both support democracy in the Balkans that seeks to build a future more peaceful and free than the past. The U.S., the European Union and others have forged a Stability Pact for South East Europe. The Pact will help ensure that the resources of a wide range of organizations are mobilized; that our efforts in Southeastern Europe are as effective as possible; and that the costs of these efforts are broadly shared. ... [Read More]

The U.S.- European Union Relationship

We are excited about prospects of EU enlargement, and welcome the addition of ten new EU members in May 2004. While EU enlargement brings additional issues and complexity to the transatlantic relationship, we have enthusiastically supported EU enlargement and celebrate the prospect of a larger European Union which will be a force for greater security and prosperity throughout the region. Less than fifteen years ago, eight of the ten states acceding to the EU were still trapped behind the Iron Curtain. Now they are democracies with market economies and on May 1 will become members of the European Union. ... [Read More]

President Bush Welcomes 10 New Countries to the European Union - U. S. Embassy Dublin, Ireland

I applaud the action by the European Union (EU) to welcome into their membership ten new countries from Central Europe and the Mediterranean. This enlargement will bring opportunity and hope to millions of Europeans. Along with NATO's expansion, the EU's enlargement further unites the new and the established democracies of Europe, and helps create a Europe whole, free, and at peace. We welcome the prospect of further enlargement of the EU to qualified countries, including Romania and Bulgaria, and we support Turkey's European Union aspirations. ... [Read More]