In December 2017, shortly before the Bulgarian government officially announced its priorities for its Presidency of the Council of the EU, I published a blog post entitled ‘The Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU: The Emperor Has No Clothes.’ I explained why it is troublesome that a state which repeatedly violates EU law and struggles with corruption would set the agenda of the Council and why it has no capacity to lead in any of the areas it chose to focus on during the Presidency.

Following the inauguration of the Presidency, reputable international media opted for the same angle. Journalists from the UK, Spain, Germany, Denmark, etc. were also troubled by the challenges Bulgaria faces regarding the rule of law, its shrinking economy, and its demographic crisis. In fact, a recent UN report shows Bulgaria has the fastest shrinking population in the world. This is not surprising given the inadequate policies of a long line of governments.

Yet, EU institutions seem to ignore all these pressing issues, as evidenced by recent public speeches of EU officials and the massive social media campaign promoting the Bulgarian Presidency.

To enhance further debate and encourage realism about what is happening, I also made a vlog post which you can watch here: