30 years ago, Bulgaria submitted an official application for full membership in the European Union. This happens on December 16, 1995

Photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgi Pirinski

Sofia, December 15, 1995 /BTA/ The official request and memorandum of the government for Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union will be handed over tomorrow at the official ceremony in Madrid by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgi Pirinski. The delegation includes Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Irina Bokova and the Head of Department "European integration" in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emil Valev announced at the regular briefing today, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radko Vlaikov.

Later, Minister Pirinski will participate in the working lunch, which will be attended by the ministers of foreign affairs of the EU countries, the six associated countries of the Baltic states, Malta and Cyprus.

A free discussion is expected afterwards, the main topic of which will be the enlargement of the EU, as well as the procedure and mechanism of work of the Intergovernmental Conference in 1996.

Bulgaria will confirm its position that negotiations for full membership should begin simultaneously with all candidate countries. On the occasion of the decision that the associated countries will not participate in the Intergovernmental Conference in 1996, the Bulgarian side expresses an opinion on the need to clearly inform the non-attendees (…).

Address of the President of the Republic Zhelyu Zhelev on the occasion of the EU summit, broadcast on the National Radio and Television

Sofia, December 15, 1995 /BTA/ President Zhelyu Zhelev read the following address this evening on radio and television:

The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria, supported by the National Assembly, decided to submit an application for full membership of the Bulgarian state in the European Union. This act confirms our will to follow the logic of the integration processes, to conscientiously fulfill the obligations arising from the European Association Agreement. This act brings us to the rest of the Central European countries, which on various occasions have already submitted their applications.

As the president of the republic, in fulfillment of my constitutional duties, I congratulate the government’s decision, as well as the will expressed by the Bulgarian people’s representatives to work for the accession to the European Union. This decision is also deeply in line with my personal commitment as President of the Republic. (…)

I wish you success in realizing the common will for full membership in the EU!

Tomorrow in Madrid I will have the honor to be the voice of this universal will during the European Union Summit.

The president and the foreign minister flew to Madrid

Varna, December 16, 1995 /BTA/ President Dr. Zhelyu Zhelev and Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgi Pirinski left for Madrid this morning from Varna airport. (…) Minister Pirinski will officially hand over the request and memorandum to the government for our full membership in the EU.

The flight was carried out from Varna due to the closure of Sofia airport due to bad weather conditions.

Bulgaria submitted an application for full membership in the EU

Madrid, December 16, 1995 / Spec. cor, of BTA Atanas Matev/ On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria, I have the honor to inform you that Bulgaria is submitting an application for full membership in the European Union.

A letter with this text, signed by Prime Minister Jean Widenov, was handed today in Madrid at a short solemn ceremony by our Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski to his Spanish colleague Javier Solana – Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the European Union until the end of the year.

This happened during the second day of the European Council convened in Madrid – the regular half-yearly meeting of the heads of state and government of the countries in the Union. Representatives of Eastern European countries associated with the European Union were also invited to it.

The ceremony was also attended by the president, Dr. Zhelyu Zhelev. His trip to Madrid was assessed by sources close to him as a desire to emphasize the consensus for Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union, despite the differences between the presidency and the cabinet on other foreign policy issues.

I am very glad that Mr. Pirinski has just officially handed over Bulgaria’s candidacy. For us, this is a big event. What pleases me the most is the consensus that exists on this topic among all political forces, state institutions, and I think in the entire Bulgarian society. God willing, as soon as possible we will present our candidacy for NATO with such a consensus, said President Zhelev after the ceremony.

Along with the letter, Georgi Pirinski handed over a memorandum to the government, in which eight pages set out the reasons for Biraria’s aspiration to be accepted into the European Union. In the country, there is full agreement on the membership, fixed already in December 1990 in a decision of the Great National Assembly, reaffirmed during the ratification of the Association Agreement of Baltria in the European Union two years later and on other occasions after that, the memorandum notes.

On December 10, 1999, at the high-level meeting of the countries of the European Community in Helsinki, Finland, a decision was taken to start negotiations with Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania and Malta. On February 15, 2000 in Brussels, Belgium, negotiations with Bulgaria were officially opened. At the high-level meeting of the EU countries on December 12 and 13, 2003 in Brussels, Belgium, a decision was made that Bulgaria would be admitted to the EU on January 1, 2007. The Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria to the EU was approved by the European Parliament on April 13, 2005 with 522 votes. "for"70 "against" and 69 "abstained" and was signed on April 25, 2005 in Luxembourg. On May 11, 2005, the contract was ratified by the National Assembly of Bulgaria. It entered into force on January 1, 2007, after being ratified by all EU member states. From that date, Bulgaria is a member of the European Union. On December 30, 2023, the Council of the EU confirmed that Bulgaria and Romania will enter Schengen by air and sea from March 31, 2024. On December 12, the long-awaited decision arrived – from January 1, 2025. Bulgaria is a full member of the Schengen area. In just a few days – from January 1, 2026, our country will become the 21st full member of the Eurozone.