Can membership in the EU drive corruption? Ultimately, to join the European Union, countries must exhibit a rather strong progress in advancing democratic institutions and putting in place sound socio-economic structures. If anything, one would associate good governance with lower, not higher degrees of corruption.
But as this article points out, an influx of EU funds in Bulgaria has only fueled corruption in this small country off the Black Sea - especially in the political arena, but spreading in other parts of the country as well. As authors point out:
Far from halting crime and violence, the money effectively spread the corruption.
How bad has corruption gotten in Bulgaria?
Seventy-five percent of Bulgarian businesses have security protection, far more than in other countries in...
Instead of being victimized by official corruption, or more likely, taking advantage of it, Carpetblogger seems to have exposed it!
Almost certainly as a result of this post, the Bulgarian government is shutting down the skeezy border "duty free" shops, that the Chiplomat and I concluded are best source of mobbed-up Moscowskaya vodka within three hours drive of Istanbul. Apparently the EU says such places are "a focal point" for corruption and organized crime. While this may be the case, I suggest the EU drive a little farther into Bulgaria and they might find one or two other focal points.
This is bad news for people who think Bulgaria is a good source of cheap vodka. It's good news, however, for people who want to think Bulgaria is anything other than...
from Sofia EchoThe risk of poverty among people above 65 years was 18 per cent, while for those over 75 it was 27.4 per cent, Labour and Social Policy Ministry Expert Dragomir Draganov said at a conference on the ageing population.In comparison, in 2005, the risk for people aged over 65 was 17.5 per cent and for those over 75, 20.3 per cent.Meglena Vesselinova from the Ministry said that a quarter of Bulgaria's pensioners were over 75-years-old. Effective care for the ageing population of the country was needed, she said. In 2008, nearly two billion leva would be allocated from the state budget to cover shortages in state public insurance.Bulgarian Red Cross head Hristo Grigorov said there were 2.5 million pensioners in Bulgaria, most of them lived under the existence minimum and needed...
The Most Important American Holiday is in one week. Thanksgiving rocks because there's no phony (or real) religion or rampant consumerism -- only food and friends and family. This is likely to be the first of several posts dealing with the First Annual Baku Diaspora Istanbul Thanksgiving.
We held two gigantic Thanksgivings in Baku (see here and here). This year, about 30 folks are leaving a huge carbon footprint, journeying from America, Honduras, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Baku and Ukraine to come to Istanbul. For this, we give thanks.
One thing they all have in common --in addition to an appreciation for ass fat -- is a prodigious appetite for alcohol. As many reside in Muslim countries, they need a pork fix too. Because we aim to please, advance planning is critical. Not only is crap...
from The Sofia News AgencyBulgaria marks this year's World AIDS Day with information campaigns across the country, part of a nationwide initiative for HIV/AIDS prevention.Bulgaria's HIV-positive patients on record grew to 677 in November, up by 76 since the beginning of the year, latest figures show.Though experts suppose the actual number of the infected exceeds that figure, AIDS is not an epidemic of catastrophic proportions for a population of approximately 8 million.The lethal disease has been spreading mostly among men, younger people and residents of larger cities. HIV has already crossed into the mainstream population and take its toll among people from all ages, social groups and professions.In over 90% percent of the cases the disease has been transmitted through sexual contacts....